Expense measures

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Asia-Pacific forestry skills and capacity building

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	2.9	4.3	4.3	4.3

The Government will provide $15.7 million over four years to improve sustainable forest management and the carbon sequestration performance of forests in the Asia‑Pacific region.

This measure will fund a combination of training, technology transfer and research activities to improve the skills of forest managers and the capacity of countries in the Asia‑Pacific to monitor forestry activity. These activities will be implemented in cooperation with governments, tertiary institutions, forest agencies and research centres within Australia and the region.

Further information can be found in the press release of 2 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service — additional funding for the international mail programme

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	3.6	3.6	-	-

The Government will provide $7.2 million over two years to enable the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to respond to an increase in the volume of high quarantine risk mail entering Australia.

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service — compliance and investigations enhancements

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	2.8	3.5	3.6	3.7

The Government will provide $13.6 million over four years to implement the Government's response to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee's report into the citrus canker outbreak in the Emerald region of Queensland.

This measure will enable the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) to begin investigations within three working days of receiving allegations of illegally imported infected goods; strengthen the administrative procedures for investigations and compliance activity; and implement a regular review of AQIS's investigations by the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Drought assistance — Country Women's Association

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	-	-	-	-

The Government provided $8.0 million in 2006‑07 to the Country Women's Association (CWA) to provide emergency family and community aid grants. This funding was in addition to the $4.0 million provided to the CWA in 2006‑07, through the Drought Package 2006, for such grants.

The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 May 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought assistance — Exceptional Circumstances assistance for primary producers

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	374.4	312.6	-	-
Department of Education, Science and Training	8.5	8.6	-	-
Department of Health and Ageing	1.6	2.5	..	-
Total	384.6	323.7	0.0	-

The Government will provide $709.9 million over four years (including $1.7 million in 2006‑07) to continue support for primary producers in regions that have been declared eligible for Exceptional Circumstances assistance.

As part of the Drought Package 2007 announced on 25 September 2007, the eligibility criteria for Exceptional Circumstances assistance were changed as follows:

• the annual off‑farm income exemption for access to Exceptional Circumstances assistance for primary producers was increased from $10,000 to $20,000 (at an estimated cost of $34.1 million over two years); and
• the limit on the net value of off‑farm assets was increased from $473,000 to $750,000 (at an estimated cost of $138.7 million over two years).

The changes in the eligibility criteria will enable assistance to be provided to a wider range of primary producers in areas declared eligible for Exceptional Circumstances assistance.

This assistance takes overall expected Exceptional Circumstances assistance for primary producers to $1.3 billion in 2007‑08 and 2008‑09.

Further information can be found in various press releases issued by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Drought assistance — Exceptional Circumstances assistance for small businesses

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	97.6	68.6	-	-
Department of Education, Science and Training	2.4	2.7	-	-
Department of Health and Ageing	0.5	0.6	-	-
Total	100.5	71.9	-	-

The Government will provide $172.6 million over three years (including $0.2 million in 2006‑07) to continue support for small businesses with up to 100 employees that are dependent on business from farmers in regions declared eligible for Exceptional Circumstances assistance.

As part of the Drought Package 2007 announced on 25 September 2007, the eligibility criteria for Exceptional Circumstances assistance were changed as follows:

• the limit on the net value of non‑business assets was increased from $473,000 to $750,000 (at an estimated cost of $7.6 million over two years for small businesses); and
• assistance was extended to all small businesses in towns with a population of 10,000 or less, located in Exceptional Circumstances declared areas, that can demonstrate a significant downturn in income as a result of their dependence on farmers as clients ($99.5 million over two years). In larger towns and cities the assistance continues to be available to farm‑dependent small businesses deriving at least 70 per cent of their income from farmers in Exceptional Circumstances declared regions.

This assistance takes overall expected Exceptional Circumstances assistance for small businesses to $319.9 million in 2007‑08 and 2008‑09.

Further information can be found in various press releases issued by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Drought assistance — interim income support for primary producers

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	133.7	38.9	-	-

The Government will provide $172.6 million over three years (including $20,000 in 2006‑07) to support primary producers in drought‑affected regions that have been declared eligible for interim income support.

Once a fully completed application for a region has been received by the Australian Government and has been deemed to show a prima facie case for an Exceptional Circumstances declaration, interim income support is made available to eligible primary producers on conditions equivalent to the Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment.

As part of the Drought Package 2007 announced on 25 September 2007, the eligibility criteria for Exceptional Circumstances assistance were changed as follows:

• the annual off‑farm income exemption for access to interim income support was increased from $10,000 to $20,000; and
• the limit on the net value of off‑farm assets was increased from $473,000 to $750,000.

Access to interim income support is available for up to six months while the Exceptional Circumstances application is assessed by the National Rural Advisory Council. Should the Government declare Exceptional Circumstances in that region, interim income support ceases and standard Exceptional Circumstances assistance arrangements commence.

Further information can be found in various press releases issued by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Drought assistance — interim income support for small businesses

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	20.2	5.9	-	-

The Government will provide $26.1 million over two years to continue support for small businesses with up to 100 employees that are dependent on business from farmers in regions declared eligible for interim income support.

Once a fully completed application for a region has been received by the Australian Government and has been deemed to show a prima facie case for an Exceptional Circumstances declaration, interim income support is made available to eligible small businesses on conditions equivalent to the Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment.

As part of the Drought Package 2007 announced on 25 September 2007, assistance was extended to all small businesses in towns with a population of 10,000 or less, located in regions eligible for interim income support, that can demonstrate a significant downturn in income as a result of their dependence on farmers as clients. In larger towns and cities, the assistance continues to be available to farm‑dependent small businesses deriving at least 70 per cent of their income from farmers in regions declared eligible for interim income support.

Access to interim support is available for up to six months while the Exceptional Circumstances application is assessed by the National Rural Advisory Council. Should the Government declare Exceptional Circumstances in that region, interim income support ceases and standard Exceptional Circumstances assistance arrangements commence.

Further information can be found in various press releases issued by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Drought Package 2007 — additional financial, social and emotional counselling

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	3.2	7.4	-	-
Centrelink	1.5	2.0	-	-
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	0.4	2.4	2.4	-
Total	5.1	11.8	2.4	-

The Government will provide $19.3 million over three years to enhance financial, social and emotional counselling services and support to drought‑affected rural communities.

This assistance includes:

• $5.2 million for the Rural Financial Counselling Service to employ three additional financial counsellors in 2007‑08 and a further thirteen counsellors in 2008‑09 and 2009‑10;
• $3.5 million for Centrelink to employ up to ten additional Rural Support Officers and five social workers in 2007‑08 and 2008‑09; and
• $10.6 million over 2007‑08 and 2008‑09 for the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to provide additional social and emotional counselling services, as part of the Family Relationship Services Programme, through 25 new Family Support Drought Response Teams.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — additional professional advice and planning

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	13.6	17.7	-	-

The Government will provide $31.2 million over two years to extend professional business and financial planning advice grants to eligible farmers in all Exceptional Circumstances declared areas, irrespective of the length of the declaration. Previously, the grants were available only in areas that had been Exceptional Circumstances declared for more than three years.

The programme provides taxable grants of up to $5,500 to eligible farmers to obtain professional business and financial planning advice. Under the announced changes, the grants can be available for up to 12 months after an Exceptional Circumstances declaration expires, and may be used to undertake a farm‑business viability assessment and to obtain financial and agronomic advice on changes that may be necessary to ensure the farm business recovers from the drought. The grants will be delivered by Centrelink.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — assistance to rural research and development corporations and companies

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	2.0	8.0	-	-

The Government has made provision for $10.0 million over two years as a contingency to ensure that rural research and development corporations and companies have sufficient funds available to continue their research programmes during periods of unprecedented low levy collections caused by the drought.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — communications

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	3.3	5.5	-	-

The Government will provide $8.8 million over two years for conducting communications and media advertising as part of the Drought Package 2007.

The drought communications strategy will raise awareness of, and provide information about, the Government's drought support measures.

Drought Package 2007 — re-establishment assistance

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	43.4	121.4	-	-

The Government will provide $164.8 million over two years to assist primary producers in severe financial difficulty who have decided to leave their farms.

The assistance includes taxable, one‑off exit grants of up to $150,000. The net assets limit applying in determining eligibility for the full exit grant will be $350,000. The assistance also includes grants of up to $10,000 for advice and retraining, as well as up to $10,000 to assist farming families to relocate. This assistance will be delivered by Centrelink.

The assistance is not dependent on primary producers being eligible for the Exceptional Circumstances relief payment or income support.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — support for irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	56.3	47.9	-	-

The Government will provide $104.2 million over two years to assist irrigators to address the impacts of reduced water allocations in the Murray‑Darling Basin.

Taxable grants of up to $20,000 will be provided to assist irrigators to implement water management strategies. Technical information sessions will also be provided to help irrigators manage their farms with reduced water allocations. The grants will be delivered by Centrelink.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Equine influenza — assistance

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	71.2	-	-	-
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	21.3	-	-	-
Total	92.5	-	-	-
Related revenue ($m)
Australian Taxation Office	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $92.5 million in 2007‑08 to assist those suffering additional costs and financial hardship as a result of the equine influenza outbreak and associated quarantine measures. This includes funding for Centrelink of $5.5 million in 2007‑08.

The assistance includes:

• a hardship fund to provide emergency grants of up to $1,500 to eligible individuals and businesses (a total of $4.0 million);
• a wage supplement, eligible for the beneficiary tax offset, to low‑paid workers and sole traders who have lost their jobs or the majority of their income (a total of $18.0 million);
• taxable grants of up to $5,000 to support eligible businesses that derive the majority of their income from the commercial horse industry and that have been significantly affected by the outbreak (a total of $31.5 million);
• a commercial horse assistance payment for the welfare and ongoing training of horses to ensure they remain fit and healthy (a total of $32.4 million); and
• grants of up to $200,000 for non-government, not‑for‑profit equestrian organisations that have provided assistance and services over and above their normal activities during the outbreak (a total of $1.0 million).

Further information can be found in the press releases of 30 August 2007 and 9 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Flemington Racecourse — funding for alternative water strategy

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $5.0 million in 2007‑08 as a one‑off grant to assist the Victorian Racing Club to implement a plan to use non‑potable water at Flemington Racecourse.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Integrated Forest Products timber mill — support

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	4.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $4.0 million in 2007‑08 to the Integrated Forest Products timber mill at Hume, in the Australian Capital Territory. The funding will assist the mill to continue to operate, with the objective of enabling the receiver to sell the business as a going concern. The funding is conditional on the New South Wales Government granting a wood supply agreement to the mill over the three financial years from 2007‑08.

Jarrahdale Heritage Park — conservation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	-	-	-	-

The Government provided $380,000 in 2006‑07 to the National Trust of Australia (Western Australia) to assist with the restoration of the Jarrahdale Heritage Park historic sawmill.

The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The Jarrahdale Heritage Park is an important part of the history of the timber industry in the south‑west region of Western Australia. This funding will assist the historic sawmill to remain operational and protect the heritage values of the site against further deterioration.

Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	12.3	4.5	-	-

The Government will provide $16.8 million over two years to increase grant payments under the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement by 30 per cent in order to assist recipients to meet their taxation liabilities on the grant payments.

The Agreement is a joint commitment of the Australian and Tasmanian Governments for enhanced protection of Tasmania's forest environment and growth in the Tasmanian forest industry and forestry jobs.

Wheat Export Authority — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	2.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide a grant of $2.0 million in 2007‑08 to the Wheat Export Authority to meet operational expenses. The grant will partly offset a reduction in levy collections associated with lower wheat exports due to the drought.

Attorney-General's

Equine influenza outbreak — Commission of Inquiry

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Attorney-General's Department	9.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide up to $9.0 million in 2007‑08 to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the entry of equine influenza into Australia.

See also the related expense measure titled Equine influenza — assistance in the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press release of 2 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Federal magistrates — death and disability cover

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Attorney-General's Department	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4

The Government will provide $1.4 million over four years to meet any liability arising from the provision of statutory disability cover and death benefits for federal magistrates. Previous arrangements for federal magistrates provided no specific entitlements in the event of retirement on the grounds of disability, or death.

Federal Magistrates Court of Australia — providing additional magistrates for family law

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Federal Magistrates Court of Australia	1.1	1.1	1.1	1.1
Family Court of Australia	-1.1	-1.1	-1.1	-1.1
Total	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $4.4 million over four years to appoint two additional federal magistrates to deal with increased family law workloads in the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia (FMCA).

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Family Court of Australia, as new judges will not be appointed to fill recent vacancies as less complex family law matters can be more efficiently considered by the FMCA.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 30 March 2007 and 8 June 2007 issued by the Attorney‑General.

Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Attorney-General's Department	-	-	-	-

The Government provided $3.0 million in 2006‑07 to the Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales (NSW) in order to address demand pressures being experienced by the Commission. The additional funding will ensure that disadvantaged groups in NSW have access to services that are equivalent to their counterparts in other jurisdictions.

The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of the Attorney‑General's Department.

National Community Crime Prevention Programme — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Attorney-General's Department	0.9	0.3	0.2	0.1

The Government will provide $1.5 million over four years to fund additional projects involving local crime prevention and safety initiatives under the National Community Crime Prevention Programme.

The National Community Crime Prevention Programme provides funding for grass roots projects designed to enhance community safety and prevention by: preventing or reducing crime and anti‑social behaviour; improving community safety and security; and reducing the fear of crime.

Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Football Club — contribution to training and community facility redevelopment

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	5.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.5 million each to the Adelaide Crows and the Port Adelaide Football Club in 2007‑08 to improve access to their training and community facilities at Alberton Oval and AAMI Stadium.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Finance and Administration.

Australia Connected — additional funding for OPEL

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	132.0	226.0	-

The Government will provide $958.0 million over three years from 2007‑08 to OPEL, a joint venture between Optus and Elders, to build a high speed wholesale broadband network and expand broadband access to 99 per cent of the population by June 2009. OPEL has agreed to make its own commercial contribution of over $900 million to this new network.

This measure includes funding of $600.0 million over two years from 2007‑08 under the Broadband Connect Infrastructure Programme, which forms part of the Connect Australia package, announced in the Mid‑Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2005‑06. Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

See also the related expense measures titled Australia Connected in the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press release of 18 June 2007 and 9 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Australia Connected — establishment of an Expert Taskforce

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.4 million to establish and support an Expert Taskforce to develop and manage a process for assessing proposals to roll‑out a new commercial, open access high speed broadband network in capital cities and major regional centres.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

See also the related expense measures titled Australia Connected in the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 18 June 2007 and 6 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Australia Connected — establishment of BroadbandNow

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.4 million to establish BroadbandNow (commencing in 2007‑08), a one‑stop consumer help centre offering information for consumers on broadband issues, such as how to obtain access to broadband; the various broadband technologies available; and whether individual consumers are eligible for government assistance programmes such as the Australian Broadband Guarantee. National and integrated information on broadband for telecommunications consumers and the telecommunications industry will also be developed.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

See also the related expense measures titled Australia Connected in the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 18 June 2007 and 2 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Australian National Rugby Academy — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	5.0	10.0	10.0	-

The Government will provide $25.0 million in 2007‑08 to the Australian Rugby Union as a contribution towards the establishment of the Australian National Rugby Academy at Ballymore in Queensland. The fiscal impact over three years from 2007‑08 reflects the funds being fully expensed as project milestones are completed.

The Academy will centralise training facilities for up‑and‑coming future stars of Australian rugby through on-field skills training, gymnasiums, pools and supporting infrastructure such as medical and conference facilities.

Further information can be found in the press release of 30 June 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Camden Aquatic Sports Centre — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	5.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $5.0 million in 2007-08 to the Camden Council in New South Wales to assist in the development of the new Camden Aquatic Sports Centre, which will replace the Camden Memorial Pool.

Campbelltown City Soccer Club — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	0.5	0.5	-	-

The Government will provide $1.0 million in 2007‑08 as a contribution towards the construction of a new multi-purpose facility for junior clubrooms at the Campbelltown City Soccer Club's home ground at the Newton Village Sports Complex. The fiscal impact over two years reflects the funds being fully expensed as project milestones are completed.

Community sporting facilities

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	-	-	-

The Government provided $0.9 million in 2006‑07 to contribute to community sporting and recreation facilities in New South Wales. The funding comprises:

• $0.7 million to assist in the development of an indoor heated pool facility in Lithgow;
• $0.2 million to fund lighting for the Bathurst rugby fields; and
• $5,000 for the redevelopment of Tom Hunter Park at Faulconbridge.

Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

Further information can be found in the announcement of 25 May 2007 made by the Prime Minister and the Member for Macquarie and the press release of 16 May 2007 issued by the Member for Macquarie.

Community Street Soccer Programme — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	1.2	1.1	0.7	-

The Government will provide $3.0 million over three years from 2007‑08 as a contribution to the Community Street Soccer Programme, which aims to assist homeless, recently homeless and unemployed people to reconnect with the community and regain self‑esteem and independence through participating in sports. This funding comprises $1.2 million to build 30 Community Street Soccer sites and $1.8 million for the operation of the sites.

Darwin Symphony Orchestra — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australia Council	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1

The Government will provide additional ongoing funding of $0.1 million per annum from 2007‑08 to the Darwin Symphony Orchestra to enhance its artistic programme.

Football Federation Australia — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Sports Commission	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0

The Government will provide $16.0 million over four years to Football Federation Australia to contribute to the costs of the women's (national under‑17 years and under‑20 years), men's (Olympic under‑17 years and under‑20 years), futsal and paralympic (cerebral palsy) Australian teams.

Further information can be found in the press release of 11 September 2007 issued by the Minister for the Arts and Sport.

Illicit drugs in sport

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority	0.4	0.7	0.6	0.6
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	0.3	13.8	13.1	12.2
Total	0.7	14.5	13.7	12.8

The Government will provide $41.8 million over four years to implement a national illicit drugs in sport policy, comprising minimum standards for testing, management of positive results and education for high-profile, high-risk and professional sports people.

Relevant national sporting organisations, which adopt the national illicit drugs policy, will be provided with funding for these activities.

The future funding requirements for this programme will be determined after consultation with the relevant National Sporting Organisations. The programme is expected to begin development in October 2007 and be fully implemented from July 2008.

Further information can be found in the press release of 6 October 2007 issued by the Minister for the Arts and Sport and the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Macarthur Disability Service — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $60,000 in 2007-08 to the Macarthur Disability Service in south-west Sydney for the purchase of wheelchairs to facilitate participation in a Macarthur Wheelchair Basketball Competition and to implement a 'Fit to Play' programme.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

National ICT Australia — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	2.4	2.4	-	-

The Government will provide $4.8 million over two years to National ICT Australia to enable the engagement of a team of researchers to work on advanced semi-conductor design. This will include the development of state-of-the-art personal broadband wireless chips that will enable the transfer of large multi-media files faster than current technology.

NetAlert — Protecting Australian Families Online — additional funding for consumer information campaign

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide an additional $3.8 million in 2007-08 for the Protecting Australian Families Online information campaign. This additional funding will bring the total of Government funding for the campaign to $22.0 million.

The additional funding will support an intensive advertising campaign to raise awareness of the Government's internet safety initiatives, and will include media announcements and the distribution of information to households.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Further information can be found in the press release of 10 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

NetAlert — Protecting Australian Families Online — additional resourcing

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Federal Police	4.3	9.4	13.6	13.7
Australian Communications and Media Authority	2.2	-	-	-
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions	1.4	2.8	2.8	2.8
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	-	-	-	-
Total	7.9	12.1	16.4	16.5
Related capital ($m)
Australian Federal Police	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.1

The Government will provide an additional $55.5 million over four years for the Protecting Australian Families Online initiative. This additional support will bring total Government funding for the programme to $188.7 million over four years from 2007-08.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority will receive $2.2 million in 2007-08 to respond to increased complaints about internet content and requests for internet safety advice, with ongoing funding to be reviewed in the 2008-09 Budget.

The Online Child Sex Exploitation Team of the Australian Federal Police will receive $43.5 million over four years to investigate complaints relating to online child pornography and sexual predators. This includes $2.0 million in capital funding over four years for IT equipment and software.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions will receive $9.8 million over four years to undertake the additional prosecutions of online offenders that are expected as a result of this initiative.

The Government will also provide an additional $0.5 million in 2007-08 to enable relevant agencies to initiate work in the OECD and UN-based Internet Government Forums, and a further $0.8 million to the National Filter Scheme to support the family support helpline and website. These components of the measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Further information can be found in the press release of 10 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

NetAlert — Protecting Australian Families Online — Outreach Programme

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Communications and Media Authority	2.3	3.1	3.1	3.2

The Government will provide $11.7 million over four years for the Protecting Australian Families Online initiative to expand the NetAlert Outreach Programme, providing information and first hand support for parents, teachers and community groups on internet safety.

Further information can be found in the press release of 10 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

North Melbourne Football Club development — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	2.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide a one-off contribution of $2.0 million in 2007-08 to the North Melbourne Football Club for the development of a new club and community recreation facility at the Arden Street North Melbourne Recreation Reserve.

Further information can be found in the press release of 6 July 2007 issued by the Minister for the Arts and Sport.

Rugby League Hall of Fame — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	3.0	7.0	-	-

The Government will provide $10.0 million in 2007-08 to the Australian Rugby League to establish the Rugby League Hall of Fame, which will have a major facility in Sydney and a satellite facility in Brisbane. These multifunction facilities will establish a permanent home for Rugby League's historic memorabilia and include interactive displays tailored to school curricula and fitness education. The facilities will also cater for media conferences, seminars, and receptions. The fiscal impact over two years reflects the funds being fully expensed as project milestones are completed.

Further information can be found in the press release of 30 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Rugby League World Cup 2008 and celebration of the Centenary of Rugby League — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Sports Commission	2.0	0.6	-	-

The Government will provide $2.6 million over two years to the Australian Rugby League as a contribution towards the staging of the 2008 World Cup in Australia and the celebration of the 2008 Centenary of Rugby League.

Further information can be found in the press release of 30 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Skilled Stadium redevelopment — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	4.0	10.0	-	-

The Government will provide a one-off contribution of $14.0 million in 2007-08 to the Geelong Football Club to contribute towards the redevelopment of Skilled Stadium (Kardinia Park) to: increase ground capacity with a new Ross Drew stand; expand the high performance gymnasium; provide additional facilities for spectators with a disability; and develop new and expanded corporate entertaining and administrative facilities. The fiscal impact over two years reflects the funds being fully expensed as project milestones are completed.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 September 2007 issued by the Treasurer.

South Pine Sports Complex upgrade — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	0.2	-	-	-

The Government will provide $0.2 million in 2007-08 as a contribution to the upgrade and redevelopment of the South Pine Sports Complex, in Albany Creek, Queensland, including the replacement of goalposts at two of its sports fields (Brendale and Wolter Park).

Special Broadcasting Service — broadcasting of World Youth Day 2008

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation	2.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.5 million to the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS) in 2007-08 to contribute to SBS's coverage of the World Youth Day 2008.

This measure will provide financial support to SBS's broadcasting and online services for the World Youth Day 2008, including live programming across television and radio, a comprehensive online focus and ΄live΄ sites in all the capital cities in Australia.

Further information can be found in the press release of 15 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Townsville International Sports Centre

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	3.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $6.4 million over two years for the Townsville International Sports Centre, also known as the Murray Sports Complex. This will provide the Townsville region with a high standard sport and recreational facility which will be capable of attracting international and national sporting events to the region. Funding of $3.4 million for the first stage of the project was provided through a Regional Partnerships Programme grant in 2006-07.

Further information can be found in the press release of 18 May 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Cross Portfolio

Efficiency dividend — increase in the rate from 1 per cent to 1.25 per cent

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Various Agencies	-	-61.0	-123.0	-187.0

The Government will increase the rate of the efficiency dividend from 1 per cent per annum to 1.25 per cent per annum from 2008-09 to 2010-11. This is consistent with the rate applied over the three years from 2005-06 to 2007-08. This will result in savings of $371.0 million over three years.

The efficiency dividend applies to the operational costs of most Australian Government agencies and certain programmes, and reduces the level of funding provided each year to ensure efficiencies are returned to the Budget.

Defence

Amberley State School

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Defence	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide up to $26.8 million in 2007-08 for a new school to replace the current Amberley State School in Queensland. The new school will accommodate 330 students and provide out-of-school care for 60 students. The expansion of the RAAF Base Amberley into the land area occupied by the existing school has led to the need for the new school in a new location.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Defence.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 June 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Australian Army — additional infantry battalions — Stage 2

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Defence	34.7	132.9	254.4	368.3
Related capital ($m)
Department of Defence	0.2	39.0	97.6	352.4

The Government will provide $4.4 billion over 10 years (including $3.1 billion over six years from 2011-12) to implement Stage 2 of the Enhanced Land Force initiative. This will increase the size of the Army by a second additional infantry battalion, following on from the announcement in August 2006 of Stage 1, the first additional battalion. The second battalion will be raised in 2008, achieve an operational capability by 2010 and be fully deployable by 2011.

This measure builds on the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2006-07 measure, Australian Army — additional infantry battalion.

Provision of $1.3 billion over four years was included in the Contingency Reserve in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2006-07.

Further information can be found in the press release of 2 October 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

HMAS Sydney II — search operation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Defence	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.9 million to the Sydney Search Group in 2007-08 to assist in the search for the HMAS Sydney II. This is in addition to an earlier commitment by the Government of $1.3 million, bringing the total contribution to $4.2 million.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Defence.

Further information can be found in the press release of 24 August 2007 issued by the Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence.

Operation CATALYST — enhanced surveillance capability

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Defence	12.4	-	-	-

The Government will provide $12.4 million in 2007-08 to enhance the surveillance capability of the Australian Defence Force in support of operations in Iraq.

Operations CATALYST and SLIPPER — enhanced protective capability

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Defence	69.7	-	-	-

The Government will provide $69.7 million in 2007-08 to enhance the protective capability of Infantry Mobility Vehicles used in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Solomon Islands — continued presence by the Australian Defence Force

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Defence	6.7	13.0	-	-

The Government will provide $19.7 million over two years to extend Operation Anode, the Australian Defence Force's support to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, from March 2008 to December 2008.

Education, Science and Training

Apprenticeship incentives for agriculture and horticulture

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	7.6	12.7	13.5	13.9

The Government will provide $47.7 million over four years to extend the eligibility for the $500 Fee Assistance Training Voucher and the Tools For Your Trade initiative. All first and second year Australian Apprentices undertaking a Certificate level II, III or IV qualification in agriculture, and those in rural and regional areas who are undertaking a Certificate level II, III or IV qualification in horticulture, will now be eligible for the assistance.

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation — decommissioning costs for the High Flux Australian Research Reactor

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $13.2 million over two years from 2007-08 to fund the estimated expenses associated with decommissioning and site restoration of the High Flux Australian Research Reactor and associated assets.

This measure involves funding of $1.1 million in 2007-08 and $12.1 million in 2008-09. Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation — nuclear collaborative research in universities

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation	1.4	1.7	1.8	1.5
Related capital ($m)
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation	5.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $12.5 million over five years (including $1.2 million in 2011-12) to fund a collaborative research programme between the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and Australian universities to build nuclear research capability and expertise within Australia through academic posts, research grants and scholarships focused on various aspects of future nuclear power technologies.

This measure includes $5.0 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for common use research infrastructure, including facilities to test radioactive specimens and installation of x-ray and electron microscopes.

Further information can be found in the transcript of the address to the Melbourne Press Club on 17 July 2007 by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — assistance for isolated children

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	6.3	9.1	-	-

The Government will provide $15.4 million over two years for an additional $1,000 grant per annum per eligible student to assist those isolated families whose children attend boarding schools or undertake distance education and who are in receipt of Assistance for Isolated Children Additional Boarding Allowance, Assistance for Isolated Children Distance Education Allowance or ABSTUDY Additional Boarding Allowance.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — assistance for rural schools

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	23.5	23.5	-	-

The Government has made provision for a grant of up to $10,000 per school per annum to assist the operation of government and non-government schools in Exceptional Circumstances declared areas.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Higher Education Endowment Fund — additional contributions and maintenance of real capital value

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide an extra $1.0 billion to the Higher Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) in 2007-08 from the 2006-07 surplus. This will build on the initial $5.0 billion allocated in the 2007-08 Budget. The additional contribution will increase the nominal earnings of the HEEF relative to the estimates at the 2007-08 Budget.

At the time of the 2007-08 Budget, it was assumed that the capital value of the HEEF would be maintained in nominal terms. The Government has now determined that the capital value of the fund should be preserved in real terms. This will help ensure that the purchasing power of payments made from the HEEF will be maintained in the future. However, because of the need to re-invest a proportion of the earnings to achieve this, lower payments from the HEEF when compared to the 2007-08 Budget estimates could result.

To avoid this and ensure that estimated disbursements to the university sector can be maintained at the levels anticipated in the 2007-08 Budget, the Government will supplement fund payments. This supplementation will total an estimated $298.0 million, comprising $184.0 million for 2008-09, $60.0 million for 2009-10 and $54.0 million for 2010-11. A higher amount of supplementation is necessary for 2008-09 to compensate for the interest forgone in the previous year as a result of the initial capital transfers to the HEEF being made after 1 July 2007. With this supplementation, estimated payments will be equivalent to those outlined in the 2007-08 Budget ($304.0 million per annum).

Apart from this initial supplementation for the reason explained, actual payments to the university sector from the HEEF will depend on the fund's realised investment earnings.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 August 2007 issued by the Treasurer.

National School Chaplaincy Programme — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	11.5	24.3	34.3	5.0

The Government will provide $75.0 million over four years under the National School Chaplaincy Programme to meet the higher-than-expected demand for chaplaincy services in schools, and to provide additional support for chaplaincy service providers.

The National School Chaplaincy Programme aims to support schools and their communities that wish to establish school chaplaincy services, or to enhance existing chaplaincy services, by providing up to $20,000 per annum, or up to a maximum of $60,000 over the life of the programme.

This funding is in addition to $107.5 million over four years announced in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2006-07 measure National School Chaplaincy Programme.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 27 June 2007 and 11 October 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

National Skills Needs List — establishment

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	8.0	14.3	17.0	18.2

The Government will provide $57.5 million over four years for the establishment of a new National Skills Needs List (NSNL) to determine the eligibility of employers and their apprentices for Australian Government incentives targeted at trade occupations which are in skills shortage. The NSNL replaced the Migration Occupations in Demand List effective 1 July 2007. The NSNL has been developed to take into consideration cyclical fluctuations and will better reflect the long-term needs of the Australian labour market.

Trade occupations are eligible for inclusion in the NSNL if the occupation has been in a national skills shortage category for three of the past five years, including one of the last two years. Under this new criteria, 17 new trade occupations were included in the skills shortage category on the commencement of the NSNL.

Further information can be found in the press release of 4 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Vocational and Further Education.

Northern Territory Emergency Response — enhancing education

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	24.4	-	-	-

The Government will provide $24.4 million in 2007-08 to improve educational opportunities for children in remote Indigenous communities as part of the initial stabilisation phase of the Northern Territory Emergency Response.

This includes funding to:

• support education initiatives at pre-schools, primary and secondary schools (both government and non-government), provide 24 additional classrooms to accommodate anticipated increased demand at schools, and strengthen curriculum offerings to ensure that children are engaged productively on returning to school and are gaining skills in literacy and numeracy;
• deliver a breakfast and lunch programme to school-aged children in schools in the prescribed communities in the Northern Territory with parents to be required to contribute to the cost of the meals through deductions from their income support; and
• establish an implementation team to assist in the delivery of the new initiatives.

Provision has been made in the Contingency Reserve for the continuation of this measure beyond 2007-08.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Research vessel Southern Surveyor — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation	-	3.0	-	-

The Government will provide $3.0 million in 2008-09 to support the operations of the research vessel Southern Surveyor, a Marine National Facility.

The additional funding will allow scientists to spend around 180 research days at sea and maintain the current level of research beyond Australian coastal waters. The Southern Surveyor focuses on deep sea research, gathering data for use in areas such as climate change, oil and gas exploration, and sustainable use of fisheries.

Veterinary Science Programme at the University of Adelaide

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	15.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide a one-off contribution of $15.0 million in 2007-08 towards the capital costs of a new Veterinary Science Programme at the University of Adelaide. This measure will support 40 new places for the pre-veterinary undergraduate course commencing in 2008 and 50 new places for the Masters of Veterinary Science course commencing in 2011.

Further information can be found in the press release of 11 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Education, Science and Training.

Work Skills Vouchers — extension

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Education, Science and Training	110.0	94.3	94.3	94.3

The Government will provide $393.0 million over four years to increase the number of Work Skills Vouchers that are available to eligible Australians. The programme was previously capped at 30,000 vouchers per annum, but will now be uncapped.

The Work Skills Vouchers programme provides to Australians, aged 25 years and over who do not have a Year 12 or equivalent qualification, a voucher up to the value of $3,000 to help improve their qualifications.

Employment and Workplace Relations

Northern Territory Emergency Response — employment and welfare reform

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	85.8	75.9	75.9	-
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	35.2	-40.2	-39.6	-
Indigenous Business Australia	24.2	-	-	-
Centrelink	10.1	-	-	-
Department of Education, Science and Training	8.9	-0.6	-0.6	-
Department of Human Services	8.2	-	-	-
Total	172.3	35.0	35.6	-
Related revenue ($m)
Australian Taxation Office	0.5	3.0	4.6	5.0
Indigenous Business Australia	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1
Total	0.7	3.1	4.7	5.1
Related capital ($m)
Centrelink	14.3	-	-	-
Indigenous Business Australia	4.2	-	-	-
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	3.7	-	-	-
Total	22.2	-	-	-

The Government will provide $265.2 million over three years (partially offset by revenue of $13.7 million over four years) to expand the delivery of government services and enhance Indigenous employment opportunities in the Northern Territory.

The measure provides for the phased closure of Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), with access to a range of income support and employment-related services to help people into ongoing employment. In addition, approximately 1,670 Indigenous Australians will be given real employment opportunities in services funded by the Australian Government through the conversion of current CDEP positions. The Australian Government will also negotiate with the Northern Territory Government to share the cost of up to 800 positions to be converted from CDEP placements to formal employment in the Northern Territory Government and local government.

The measure also provides for transition payments to former CDEP participants, with those payments eligible for the beneficiary tax offset. The conversion of some CDEP positions and transition to mainstream income support of other CDEP participants will mean that the overall amount of beneficiary tax offset claimed will be reduced. The combined impact of these changes will be a saving to revenue of $13.1 million over four years for the Australian Taxation Office.

Further, the measure provides for the accelerated removal of exemptions from participation requirements for income support recipients in remote areas in the Northern Territory. This will ensure job seekers participate in employment programmes, such as Structured Training and Employment Projects and Work for the Dole.

The Australian Government is also changing the way welfare is administered to ensure money meant for children's welfare is used for that purpose. The measure will affect all people in prescribed communities who receive income support payments. For an initial period of twelve months, half of all income support and family assistance payments will be managed by Centrelink, so that money is spent on priority items such as food and rent in those communities.

Community stores in prescribed communities will be subject to a licensing system to ensure the stocking of affordable nutritious food, allow income-managed funds to be used to make purchases, ensure an appropriate level of service and to help prevent price exploitation.

This measure will provide funding for Centrelink of $66.0 million (including $14.3 million in capital funding) in 2007-08 to help implement these arrangements.

The measure includes $22.2 million in capital, primarily for office fit outs and enhancement of information and communication technology infrastructure. Separately, $13.5 million in capital will be provided to Indigenous Business Australia for new business loans, asset leases for small Indigenous businesses and interest-free loans to outback community stores. Business loans for small businesses totalling $2.5 million will generate $0.6 million over four years in interest revenue. The additional interest revenue is offset by the public debt interest costs incurred by the Australian Government in financing loans, which are accounted for separately. The provision of loans affects only the composition of the Australian Government's financial assets and as such, the loan capital component of the measure has no impact on the fiscal balance.

Provision has been made in the Contingency Reserve for the continuation of various elements of this measure beyond 2007-08.

Further information can be found in the press release of 18 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

School attendance — enrolment data collection

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	27.8	-	-	-
Department of Veterans' Affairs	-	-	-	-
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	nfp	nfp	nfp	nfp
Total	27.8	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Centrelink	14.4	-	-	-
Department of Veterans' Affairs	-	-	-	-
Total	14.4	-	-	-

The Government has made provision for $42.2 million in 2007-08 to implement the initial stage of welfare reforms which place an obligation on parents receiving welfare to provide appropriate care for their children and to ensure that they attend school.

This measure involves funding for the collection of comprehensive data from Australian schools on their student enrolments. The data collected will be used to ensure all school-aged children of welfare recipients are enrolled, and will be used to facilitate regular school attendance.

This measure is expected to include capital funding for Centrelink and the Department of Veterans' Affairs for computer system enhancements.

Further information can be found in the press release of 14 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Work for the Dole — increased access to full-time Work for the Dole

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	2.2	2.2	2.2	2.2

The Government will expand the eligibility criteria for full-time Work for the Dole at an estimated cost of $8.7 million over four years.

This measure builds on the 2005-06 Budget measure, Welfare to Work – increasing participation of the very long term unemployed, by expanding access to all job seekers who remain unemployed after completing a second round of Intensive Support customised assistance and who would benefit from a referral to full-time Work for the Dole.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Workforce Participation.

Workers' compensation — increasing death benefits

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Comcare	-	-	-	-

The Government will amend the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 to increase the amount of death benefits payable under the Australian Government's Workers' Compensation Scheme.

One-off lump sum death benefits will increase from $219,024 to $400,000 and weekly periodic payments for dependent children will increase from $72.98 to $110.00. Both payments will be indexed by the wage price index issued by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The estimated increase in death benefits of $6.1 million over four years will be met from Comcare's existing premium pool. As agencies continue to improve their occupational health and safety practices, it is expected that there will be no net impact on the fiscal balance.

Workforce participation requirements — exemptions for carers who are relatives

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.4
Centrelink	-	-	-	-
Total	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.4

The Government will provide an exemption from workforce participation requirements for principal carers responsible for related children, who are not their own children, under a Family Court parenting order, at an estimated cost of $2.1 million over four years.

A relative will be defined as a person related to a child by blood, adoption or marriage or related to the child under Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kinship rules or kinship ties.

This exemption provides relatives who have a child living with them under a Family Court order the same participation exemptions as granted to grandparents and active foster carers in similar circumstances.

Part of the cost of this measure ($0.5 million in 2007-08 and $0.1 million per annum over the following three years) will be met from within the existing resourcing of Centrelink.

Workplace Relations Reform — communication campaign

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	61.0	-	-	-
Office of the Workplace Ombudsman	-7.2	-3.0	-3.0	-
Total	53.8	-3.0	-3.0	-

The Government will provide $66.0 million (including $5.0 million in 2006-07) to raise public awareness of the Fairness Test and the services provided by the Workplace Authority and the Office of the Workplace Ombudsman.

The communication campaign will educate the public about the Fairness Test and will outline the workplace relations protections available to employees and how to access additional information and assistance.

The cost of this measure is partially offset by savings of $20.4 million over four years (including $7.2 million in 2006-07) from funding previously allocated to raise public awareness of the services of the former Office of Workplace Services and the former Office of the Employment Advocate, which were abolished on 1 July 2007.

See also the related expense measures titled Workplace Relations Reform in the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 19 May 2007 and 24 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

Workplace Relations Reform — establishment of the Office of the Workplace Ombudsman

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Office of the Workplace Ombudsman	14.5	14.9	15.0	15.3
Related capital ($m)
Office of the Workplace Ombudsman	4.0	0.4	0.1	0.1

The Government will provide $64.1 million over four years to establish the Office of the Workplace Ombudsman. This Office will perform the role formerly undertaken by the Office of Workplace Services and will have an expanded role due to the introduction of the Fairness Test for workplace agreements.

Staff will undertake additional investigations in relation to the Fairness Test and will also investigate claims that an employer has applied duress on employees when negotiating Australian Workplace Agreements and certain certified agreements.

This measure includes $4.5 million in capital funding over four years for office fit-outs and an IT system upgrade to manage new claims and infringements.

See also the related expense measures titled Workplace Relations Reform in the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press release of 4 May 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Workplace Relations Reform — establishment of the Workplace Authority

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Workplace Authority	72.3	67.6	71.9	72.8
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	1.7	1.0	-	-
Total	74.0	68.7	71.9	72.8
Related capital ($m)
Workplace Authority	14.2	2.0	1.4	1.2

The Government will provide $306.2 million over four years to establish the Workplace Authority. The Workplace Authority will perform the role formerly undertaken by the Office of the Employment Advocate and will apply the new Fairness Test for workplace agreements.

In addition to administering the Fairness Test, the Workplace Authority will undertake pre-lodgement assessments of both Australian Workplace Agreements and Collective Agreements and provide a comprehensive information and education service about pay and conditions to help employers and employees better understand the workplace relations system.

This measure includes $18.9 million in capital funding over four years for office fit-outs and IT system upgrades to manage the administration of the Fairness Test. The funding also includes $2.7 million over two years for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to provide implementation support in relation to the Fairness Test.

See also the related expense measures titled Workplace Relations Reform in the Employment and Workplace Relations Portfolio.

Further information can be found in the press release of 4 May 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Environment and Water Resources

Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Entitlements — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
National Water Commission	25.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide an additional $25.0 million in 2007-08 to assist groundwater licence holders in New South Wales to adjust to reductions in their water access entitlements.

This measure builds on the Government's initial $55 million contribution to the Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Entitlements package, which was announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2005.

Further information can be found in the joint press release of 8 June 2007 issued by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

Climate change — Green Vouchers for schools

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	101.5	149.1	51.3	34.3

The Government will provide $336.1 million over four years for rebates to encourage improved energy and water efficiency in schools.

All Australian primary and secondary schools will be eligible to receive funding of up to $50,000 to install a solar hot water system and/or a rainwater tank of greater than 10,000 litres capacity.

Schools that have previously received Australian Government funding to install a rainwater tank will have that amount deducted from the $50,000 grant.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 July 2007 issued by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

Climate change — national clean energy target

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator	0.5	1.3	1.7	2.2
Related capital ($m)
Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator	-	3.3	1.1	-

The Government has made provision for $12.3 million over five years (including $2.2 million in 2011-12) for the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator to administer the national clean energy target of 30,000 gigawatt hours of electricity each year to be generated from low emissions sources by 2020. The target is in addition to a baseline level of renewable energy generation estimated to be around 16,000 gigawatt hours annually.

The provision includes $4.4 million in capital funding to modify and expand the capacity of the renewable energy certificate online register.

The final costs of administering the target will be determined once the details of the scheme are settled, in consultation with state and territory governments and industry.

The clean energy target is expected to come into effect no later than 1 January 2010.

Further information can be found in the press release of 23 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Climate change — solar hot water systems — rebates for households

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	31.8	40.3	50.0	65.0

The Government will provide $252.2 million over five years (including $65.1 million in 2011-12) to provide rebates to households to encourage improved energy efficiency in homes.

Up to 225,000 eligible households will be able to access rebates of $1,000 for solar and heat pump hot water systems installed on or after 18 July 2007 that replace electric storage hot water systems in established homes.

To be eligible for a rebate, the applicant's taxable income must be less than $100,000, and the solar hot water system must be installed in the principal place of residence.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 July 2007 issued by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

Glenelg to Adelaide Parklands Reuse Scheme — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $30.2 million for the Glenelg to Adelaide Parklands Reuse Scheme, which aims to irrigate Adelaide's parklands using recycled water from the Glenelg Waste Water Treatment Plant.

This funding is conditional on the South Australian Government approving a fully-costed concept design and confirming its matching funding contribution for the project. The funding profile for this measure will be finalised once these conditions have been met.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of the Environment and Water Resources.

This measure was announced on 29 September 2004 as part of the Government's 2004 election commitment titled South Australia — A More Sustainable Future. The South Australian Government did not fulfil the requirements of this election commitment until September 2007.

Murray Irrigation Limited — support

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	18.0	-	-	-

The Government has made provision for a one-off grant of approximately $18.0 million in 2007-08 to Murray Irrigation Limited to offset taxation liabilities arising from regional landcare works undertaken prior to 1 July 2004.

National greenhouse gas emissions and energy reporting system — establishment

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	-	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $24.4 million over five years to establish a single, streamlined system to report easily accessible, nationally consistent data at the company level to investors and the general public on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use by Australia's major companies. The system is expected to be in place by July 2008.

This measure includes expense funding of $2.7 million in 2007-08, $3.7 million in 2008-09, $4.5 million in 2009-10, $5.2 million in 2010-11 and $5.1 million in 2011-12. It also includes capital funding of $2.0 million in 2007-08, $1.0 million in 2008-09, $0.1 million in 2009-10 and $0.1 million in 2010-11 for the development of an online reporting tool.

Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 July 2007 issued by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

National Plan for Water Security — modernising irrigation in Australia

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	-	-	200.0	-300.0

The Government has decided to bring forward $200.0 million of funding from 2010-11 to 2009-10, under the $5.9 billion Modernising Irrigation in Australia component of the $10 billion National Plan for Water Security, to accelerate expenditure on works to improve water use efficiency.

In addition, the Government has decided to defer funding of $100.0 million from 2010-11 to beyond 2010-11 to provide for contingencies expected later in the programme.

Point Nepean — University of Melbourne rental guarantee

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	-	0.3	0.3	0.3

The Government will provide $2.4 million over seven years from 2008-09 (including $0.3 million in 2011-12 and $0.4 million per annum over the following three years) to the University of Melbourne as a guaranteed annual contribution towards its rental commitment at Point Nepean, Victoria. The funding is intended to facilitate the establishment of a National Centre for Coasts and Climate at Point Nepean by the University.

Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Aboriginal Employment Strategy — reconciliation and youth activities

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $5.5 million over three years to fund additional activities to be undertaken by Aboriginal Employment Strategy Ltd. Aboriginal Employment Strategy Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation that works to encourage the private sector to engage with Aboriginal people. The funding will support three main elements:

• Practical Reconciliation — fostering engagement between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in partnership with the private sector, including through cultural education for employees, Aboriginal volunteering placements and practical reconciliation events;
• The Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurial Programme — encouraging Aboriginal youth to be introduced to the working economy through work placements and traineeships; and
• The Ambassador Programme — addressing anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related crime and violence including through the employment of respected individuals to work with children and youth in the streets to minimise anti-social behaviour after school hours and at night.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Centrelink — further call centre supplementation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	3.3	-	-	-
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	1.3	-	-	-
Department of Education, Science and Training	0.5	-	-	-
Total	5.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide an additional $5.0 million in 2007-08 to ensure Centrelink is able to better meet peaks in demand arising from clients making increased use of call centres and a trend towards longer and more complex calls.

Funding under this measure will be provided through policy departments for call centre services to be delivered by Centrelink, with the majority of funding provided to the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to improve the Government's capacity to efficiently and effectively offer telephone-based services to families.

The measure continues the 2004-05 Budget measure Centrelink – call centre supplementation, which provided funding of $67.4 million over three years and was expanded in the 2006-07 Budget with an additional $115.0 million over two years.

Channel 7 Telethon Trust — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	0.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $0.5 million in 2007-08 to the Channel 7 Telethon Trust in Western Australia to contribute to capital works projects of the Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre and the Teen Challenge Charity. The funding will assist children with speech, language or hearing impairments and people aged 16 years and over with drug and alcohol dependence problems.

Children with autism spectrum disorders — support for families and carers

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	5.7	29.4	37.0	36.4
Department of Education, Science and Training	3.5	5.7	5.5	5.6
Department of Health and Ageing	0.6	5.9	5.6	3.7
Medicare Australia	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2
Total	9.9	41.2	48.3	45.9

The Government will provide $145.4 million over four years to provide support to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families and carers.

This includes funding of $85.9 million over four years to support up to 15,000 families with children aged 0-6 years with ASD to access early intervention services. This will include funding for playgroups, group programmes and individual assistance, with the intensity of support tailored to the needs of each child. Autism advisors will also be funded to assist parents to find appropriate services for the particular needs of their child.

This measure includes funding of $22.5 million over four years for service providers to develop and deliver education, training and support to families of children with ASD in the post-diagnosis stages. It also includes funding of $20.3 million over four years to provide professional development for teachers and workshops and information sessions for parents and carers who support school-aged children with ASD.

This measure will also provide $16.6 million over four years to introduce new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items for diagnosis and treatment options for children. These items will allow paediatricians or psychiatrists to assess needs and develop intensive treatment programmes accordingly. Access to up to 20 new MBS services from a range of allied health professionals will also be available.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 3 October 2007 issued by the Prime Minister and Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Daughters of Charity — funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	2.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.5 million in 2007-08 to the Daughters of Charity appeal for the establishment of a new building in Fitzroy, Victoria, and associated costs. The Daughters of Charity undertake work in support of vulnerable members of the community, including through drug and alcohol counselling, assistance for homeless women and psychiatric disability rehabilitation services.

Disability assistance — support for people with disabilities, their families and carers

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	222.8	281.5	345.1	425.5
Related revenue ($m)
Australian Taxation Office	-	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	2.5	-	-	0.4
Centrelink	0.1	-	-	-
Total	2.6	-	-	0.4

The Government will provide $1.8 billion over five years (including $548.6 million in 2011-12) to assist people with disabilities, their families and carers.

The package of assistance includes funding of:

• $721.2 million over five years to provide carers with an annual tax-free payment of $1,000 for each child under the age of 16 with a disability for whom the carer is receiving Carer Allowance (Child), to assist with the purchase of items that improve the quality of life of children with a disability, their families and carers;
• $948.2 million over five years to fund accommodation support services to assist parent carers aged 65 or more, including: a new Australian Government-supported accommodation service ($562.6 million over five years); additional in-home and centre-based respite services ($270.3 million over five years); and a new in-home support service for people with a disability ($115.3 million over five years);
• $23.6 million over five years for specialist services for children with a disability targeted at areas of high need; and
• $13.8 million over five years to help older carers and their adult children to plan their future care needs.

To address longer-term needs, the Government will provide $1.5 million to establish an inquiry to explore ways to provide greater choice and flexibility in the delivery of supported accommodation.

In addition, the Government will provide $113.3 million over five years to ensure support is available to people in disability business services. This includes increasing the base funding for disability business services ($26.9 million over five years) and providing 750 additional supported employment places ($33.7 million over five years); temporary assistance to disability business services that suffer short-term financial difficulties in rural and regional areas ($21.8 million over five years); and continuing support for people participating in non-vocational activities ($30.9 million over five years).

This measure includes funding for Centrelink of $9.4 million in 2007-08, $2.9 million in 2008-09, $2.7 million in 2009-10, and $2.6 million per annum from 2010-11 to 2011-12.

This measure also includes capital funding of $2.6 million in 2007-08 and $0.4 million in 2010-11 for office fit-out.

Further information can be found in the press release of 28 June 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Disaster relief funding — Hunter, Central Coast and Gippsland regions

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	24.7	0.2	-	-

The Government will provide $36.3 million over three years (including $11.4 million in 2006-07) under the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment programme to assist people affected by the June 2007 floods in the Central Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales and the Gippsland region of Victoria. This measure involves funding for Centrelink of $5.7 million in 2007-08 and $0.2 million in 2008-09.

Payments of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child will be made available to people who, as a direct result of the flooding, were seriously injured and required hospitalisation for at least 48 hours or whose principal place of residence was destroyed or rendered uninhabitable for a period of 48 hours or more.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 10 June, 14 June and 29 June 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Drought Package 2007 — additional funding for the Emergency Relief Program

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	1.5	3.0	-	-

The Government will provide additional funding of $4.5 million over two years for the Emergency Relief Program to assist community and charitable organisations to deliver additional assistance to individuals, rural families and communities in areas affected by the drought. Assistance may include: vouchers for food, pharmaceuticals and petrol; assistance with rent or accommodation; part payment of utility accounts; and assistance such as food parcels or clothing.

Further information can be found in the press release of 25 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Foodbank SA — financial assistance

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	0.1	0.1	-	-

The Government will provide $0.2 million over two years to Foodbank SA to provide food to a network of welfare agencies in both metropolitan and rural South Australia. Foodbank SA sources donations from the food and grocery industry and supplies this food to welfare agencies for use in their food relief programmes.

Northern Territory Emergency Response — coordination

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	71.5	-	-	-
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	0.7	-	-	-
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet	0.6	-	-	-
Department of Human Services	0.4	-	-	-
Total	73.2	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	4.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $77.7 million in 2007-08 for the management and coordination of the Northern Territory Emergency Response. This measure includes funding for:

• the Northern Territory Emergency Response Taskforce, which will provide oversight and guidance of the Emergency Response;
• the Operations Centre that will be responsible for the roll-out of the Emergency Response, including coordinating the deployment of individual measures in communities;
• Government Business Managers, who will be based in communities and manage government programmes and government-funded assets in order to ensure government services are effectively coordinated and delivered;
• a strategy to engage local communities and individuals; and
• support for volunteers to assist in the response.

This measure also includes capital funding of $4.5 million in 2007-08 for computing and communication equipment.

Provision has been made in the Contingency Reserve for the continuation of this measure beyond 2007-08.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Northern Territory Emergency Response — housing and land reform

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	49.2	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	29.9	-	-	-

The Government will provide $79.1 million in 2007-08 to address housing, land and infrastructure issues in 73 Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

This will include: providing new serviced blocks for housing associated with the Northern Territory Emergency Response; upgrading essential infrastructure systems, such as power, water and sewerage; and the provision of basic short-term accommodation for staff for the first 12 months of the Emergency Response.

The Government will also acquire townships prescribed by the Australian Government through five-year leases. A provision for funding of compensation for this acquisition has been included in the Contingency Reserve as these amounts are yet to be negotiated and are not included in the funding shown above.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Northern Territory Emergency Response — promoting law and order

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	25.6	-	-	-
Department of Defence	15.5	-	-	-
Attorney-General's Department	11.0	-	-	-
Australian Federal Police	7.4	9.2	9.3	-
Australian Crime Commission	4.0	-	-	-
Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman	0.2	-	-	-
Total	63.8	9.2	9.3	-
Related capital ($m)
Australian Crime Commission	0.7	-	-	-
Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman	0.1	-	-	-
Total	0.9	-	-	-

The Government will provide $83.1 million over three years to implement a range of law and order activities as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response.

This measure includes funding:

• to provide additional police stations and police housing; support for activities associated with changes to the alcohol and pornography laws in the Northern Territory, including licensing, non-police enforcement, computer review and education costs; and Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers to act as links between police forces and the local Indigenous communities;
• to expand existing Northern Territory night patrol activities to improve safety and assist people at risk; for additional Aboriginal Interpreter Services to meet an expected increase in demand resulting from the response; and for additional legal practitioners and support staff for a number of legal aid programmes which provide assistance to Indigenous Australians;
• for the deployment of 66 police personnel to the Northern Territory in 2007-08 sourced from the Australian Federal Police and State police forces. For 2008-09 and 2009-10 the 66 police personnel will be sourced from the Australian Federal Police;
• for the collection of intelligence that identifies incidences of child sexual abuse, and offenders, in order to assist police investigations across Australia;
• for logistical support services including vehicular and airborne transport, communications, temporary accommodation and contracting support; and
• to develop and support complaint-handling procedures for Commonwealth agencies delivering Emergency Response services.

This measure also includes $0.9 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for computer and communications equipment.

Provision has been made in the Contingency Reserve for the continuation of various elements of this measure beyond 2007-08.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Northern Territory Emergency Response — supporting families

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	32.8	-	-	-

The Government will provide $32.8 million in 2007-08 as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response to increase the provision of family and children's services within Indigenous communities.

This funding will establish 'safe places' (emergency and transitional accommodation) within Indigenous communities and major towns in the Northern Territory to provide immediate assistance to families suffering family violence. Funding will also be provided to employ additional child protection and community liaison workers to address the safety needs of children within Indigenous communities.

In addition, this measure will support Indigenous children and their families by providing funding to:

• expand existing child care services in major towns;
• expand existing government-funded early childhood services;
• upgrade existing and establish further creches; and
• expand Indigenous playgroups.

Funding will also be provided to establish three outreach-based services offering a range of alcohol diversionary activities for young people in remote communities.

Provision has been made in the Contingency Reserve for the continuation of this measure beyond 2007-08.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Scouting Australia — communications campaign

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	1.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $1.5 million in 2007-08 to Scouting Australia to support a communications campaign as part of the forthcoming 2008 Year of the Scout. The campaign will help to build awareness in the community of scouting and the Year of the Scout celebrations and encourage young people and families to be involved in the scouting movement.

Further information can be found in the press release of 31 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Community Services.

Seniors and eligible veterans — extended travel concessions

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide pensioners and eligible veterans with access to concessional fares for travel on The Ghan on the Alice Springs to Darwin sector. This extends the concessions funded by the Government on a number of rail lines that were previously part of the Australian National Railway, including the Adelaide to Alice Springs sector of The Ghan. Funding for this extension will be provided to Great Southern Rail through a variation to the existing contractual arrangements.

This measure is estimated to involve funding of $0.9 million in 2007-08, $1.6 million in 2008-09, $1.7 million in 2009-10 and $1.9 million in 2010-11. The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Further information can be found in the press release of 29 August 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Social security agreement between Australia and Greece

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $165.2 million over four years to extend the current network of reciprocal social security agreements to include Greece.
Upon taking effect, the agreement will enable former Australian residents living in Greece and Greek Australians living in Australia to claim their entitlement to a pension from either or both countries when they meet relevant eligibility requirements. Australia and Greece will share responsibility and costs for the social security coverage of eligible age pensioners according to their period of residence in Australia and/or their period of insurance in Greece. It is expected that the agreement will take effect during 2008 following completion of the necessary treaty, administrative and legislative processes in both countries.

This measure includes funding for Centrelink of $1.0 million in 2007-08, $7.5 million in 2008-09, $6.7 million in 2009-10 and $5.7 million in 2010-11 to process additional claims and implement system changes.

This measure involves funding of $1.1 million in 2007-08, $34.9 million in 2008-09, $63.9 million in 2009-10 and $65.3 million in 2010-11. Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

Further information can be found in the press release of 23 May 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Sydney Christmas Parade — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $1.0 million in 2007-08 to the Sydney Christmas Parade Trust to support the inaugural Sydney Christmas Parade 2007. The parade aims to strengthen the sense of community by bringing people together to celebrate the holiday season.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Further information can be found in the press release of 30 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Tuggeranong Office Park — transitional accommodation costs

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $19.1 million over two years for the transitional costs associated with the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) continuing to occupy Tuggeranong Office Park following the transfer of Centrelink to new accommodation from late 2007. These costs include rent commitments, utilities, and building management costs for Tuggeranong Office Park. Ongoing accommodation and office fit-out arrangements for parts of FaCSIA are contingent on the results of a sale process for the building. This process is currently under way and is expected to be completed by 30 June 2008.

This measure involves funding of $7.5 million in 2007-08 and $11.6 million in 2008-09. Provision for this funding has already been included in the forward estimates.

Welfare reform — Cape York trial

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	3.9	6.5	6.1	5.2
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	2.3	2.1	-	-
Department of Education, Science and Training	2.0	4.0	3.2	3.3
Indigenous Business Australia	0.3	-	-	-
Department of Human Services	0.1	..	-	-
Total	8.6	12.7	9.3	8.5
Related revenue ($m)
Indigenous Business Australia	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Related capital ($m)
Indigenous Business Australia	3.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $45.8 million over five years (including $3.9 million in 2011-12) to implement the trial of a new approach to welfare in four Cape York Indigenous communities, with the aim of promoting engagement in the real economy, reducing passive welfare and rebuilding social norms. This is in response to the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership's report From Hand Out to Hand Up.

The funding will be used to support a range of initiatives, including income and case management of welfare recipients not meeting defined obligations in relation to their children and other agreed community obligations; associated support services; investment in education, including extending opportunities for children to study away from home; and business development to support self-employment and small business activities.

Funding is also included for reforms to housing management with incentives for people to contribute to and maintain improvements in housing, and to meet rent and other tenancy obligations. In addition, funding of up to $2.3 million will be made available for 40 Australian Government jobs in service delivery that will be created by converting existing Community Development Employment Projects Programme positions into ongoing jobs.

This measure includes $3.0 million in capital funding to establish a business precinct.

The revenue to be received by Indigenous Business Australia results from interest on loans to support businesses and is largely offset by the public debt interest costs incurred by the Australian Government in financing the loans, which are separately accounted for in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

This measure includes funding for Centrelink of $1.2 million in 2007-08, $0.5 million in 2008-09, $0.4 million in 2009-10, $0.4 million in 2010-11 and $0.2 million in 2011-12.

Further information can be found in the press release of 18 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Yamatji — native title representative body — additional funding for resolution of native title claim issues

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	5.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $5.5 million in 2007-08 through the Native Title and Land Rights Program to Yamatji Marlpa Baba Maaja Aboriginal Corporation (Yamatji), a native title representative body. Funding will be provided to expedite resolution of outstanding issues relating to some existing native title land claims in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Early resolution of these issues will enable negotiations to proceed between Rio Tinto Iron Ore and affected native title claimant groups in respect of mining access arrangements on affected land.

Finance and Administration

Cornwell superannuation case — interim response

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Finance and Administration	1.9	-	-	-
Commonwealth Superannuation Administration	0.8	-	-	-
Total	2.7	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.7 million in 2007-08 for interim arrangements to manage the Australian Government's response to the Cornwell superannuation case. This will allow processing and assessment of further claims against the Commonwealth for alleged negligent advice about superannuation eligibility.

This measure includes funding for ComSuper of $0.8 million to assist in managing claims.

Sydney Airports Corporation Limited stamp duty dispute — funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Finance and Administration	nfp	nfp	nfp	nfp

The Government will provide funding to the Department of Finance and Administration for the legal and other costs related to the dispute with the New South Wales Government over the imposition of land-rich stamp duty on the sale of Australian Government shares in the Sydney Airports Corporation Limited.

Provision for this funding has been included in the forward estimates and is not for publication as the costs involve the engagement of specialist advisers, including lawyers. Consequently, the estimates are commercial-in-confidence.

Foreign Affairs and Trade

Afghanistan and Pakistan — assistance

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
AusAID	-	66.3	-	-

The Government will provide $114.9 million over two years for new and expanded assistance programmes in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The funding will improve the delivery of essential services such as health and education, strengthen agricultural production and help build security and stability in Afghanistan and adjoining areas of Pakistan by strengthening the capacity of both national and provincial governments.

Funding of $48.6 million in 2007-08 will be met from within the existing resourcing of AusAID.

Further information can be found in the press release of 23 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum — supporting Australia's involvement

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade	1.3	3.9	3.9	1.9
Department of the Treasury	2.3	3.7	-	-
Department of Health and Ageing	-	-	-	-
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	-	-	-	-
Total	3.5	7.6	3.9	1.9

The Government will provide $20.4 million over five years (including $0.2 million in 2011-12) to support Australia's involvement in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, including through initiatives agreed at the APEC 2007 Economic Leaders' and related meetings.

The measure involves funding for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of $10.8 million over four years from 2007-08 for the establishment of a Policy Support Unit within the APEC Secretariat to undertake analysis on trade, structural reform and energy issues; and $0.3 million over three years from 2008-09 to increase Australia's APEC membership contributions. The measure also includes $1.2 million over four years from 2008-09 to support Australian members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in representing the Australian business community. The cost of this support for ABAC will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Funding of $5.9 million over two years will be provided to the Department of the Treasury to host ministerial and officials' meetings to support structural reform across the region.

Funding of $1.8 million over three years from 2007-08 will be provided to support Australia's chairing of the APEC Health Working Group, contingent on Australia being selected to chair this Group. The cost of this component of the measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Health and Ageing.

The measure also includes funding for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources of $0.1 million over two years from 2007-08 to support Australia's chairing and secretariat commitments in APEC working groups; and $0.3 million over two years from 2007-08 to establish an APEC Energy Investment and Trade Roundtable to develop and implement the APEC Energy Peer Review Mechanism, which aims to help APEC member economies attain energy efficiency goals. This funding will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

Emergency and humanitarian relief — contributions

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
AusAID	-	-	-	-

The Government has provided $43.8 million since the 2007-08 Budget for emergency and humanitarian relief efforts. The funding has been provided through various international agencies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Organisation and the World Health Organisation, and a number of non-government organisations. Examples of the assistance provided include: the provision of food aid to people in Zimbabwe; funding humanitarian services for conflict victims in Sri Lanka, Sudan, Somalia and Uganda; and contributing towards emergency relief efforts in storm and flood-affected communities in Bangladesh, Nepal, North Korea and Pakistan.

The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of AusAID.

Further information can be found in various press releases issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Fires in Greece — donation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade	3.0	-	-	-

The Government provided $3.0 million in 2007-08 to the Hellenic Red Cross as part of its response to the devastation caused by the recent forest fires in Greece. The donation was given to the Hellenic Red Cross as a contribution to its special emergency fund for the victims of these fires.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 August 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Global Fund — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
AusAID	-	46.5	46.5	-

The Government will provide $93.0 million over two years from 2008-09 to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) — a public-private partnership between governments, the private sector and affected communities. This funding is in addition to $42.0 million provided in 2007-08 and will take Australia's total contribution to the Global Fund to $135.0 million over three years.

Since its establishment in 2002, the Global Fund has funded AIDS and tuberculosis treatment, and distributed insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. Australia's commitments will continue to assist in these areas.

The funding will be assigned from the unallocated provision for expanded aid funding held in the Contingency Reserve.

Further information can be found in the press release of 28 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Humanitarian assistance to Darfur

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
AusAID	-	-	-	-

The Government provided an additional $20.0 million in humanitarian assistance to the Darfur region of Sudan in 2007-08. The funding included $16.0 million for food aid and air transport, $2.0 million for logistics support and $2.0 million for health projects to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

The funding brings the Government's total contribution to Sudan and neighbouring countries to more than $82.0 million since May 2004.

The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of AusAID.

Further information can be found in the press release of 15 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

International Development Association 15 replenishment — contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
AusAID	42.2	-	-	-

The Government will provide a contribution to the current Replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA) — the concessional lending arm of the World Bank. IDA provides analysis and funding, through grants and loans, for developing economies in areas such as basic infrastructure, health and education systems and rural development. The Government's Aid White Paper (April 2006) indicates that Australia will support appropriate expansions to IDA.

This measure includes up to $211.0 million in additional funding, with the remainder to be met from within the existing resourcing of AusAID. The final amount to be contributed will depend on exchange rates and the outcome of negotiations with IDA. The additional funding will be assigned from the unallocated provision for expanded aid funding held in the Contingency Reserve.

The contribution is expected to contain both loan and grant components. The estimated effect on the fiscal balance reflects an assumption on the relative proportions of these components. The provision of loans from the budget, and their repayment, affect only the composition of the Government's financial assets and, as such, the loans component of this measure will have no impact on the fiscal balance. The public debt interest costs incurred by the Australian Government in financing the loans are separately accounted for in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Working with Australians overseas to promote Australia's interests

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade	0.5	0.2	0.2	-

The Government will provide $0.9 million over three years to support the activities of Advance, an organisation representing Australians working overseas. The funding will support infrastructure and specific projects to assist Australian expatriates and promote public diplomacy objectives in support of Australia's foreign and trade policies.

Health and Ageing

Australian Red Cross Blood Service — Sydney headquarters relocation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	-	-	-	6.7

The Government will provide up to $99.0 million over 20 years from 2010-11 to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) to assist in its relocation to new Sydney headquarters. Moving to new premises will assist the ARCBS to continue the efficient and effective delivery of Australia's blood supply.

The ARCBS estimates total costs at around $157 million with the final amount dependent on further negotiation and finalisation of the ARCBS business case. In line with existing cost sharing arrangements under the National Blood Agreement, the States and Territories will also contribute to the cost of the relocation.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Clinical training for enrolled nurses

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	15.5	43.6	30.9	29.2
Department of Education, Science and Training	0.9	4.3	4.9	5.4
Total	16.4	47.9	35.9	34.7
Related revenue ($m)
Australian Taxation Office	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $134.8 million over four years to create 25 Australian Hospital Nursing Schools to deliver hospital-based training within major public and private hospitals for enrolled nurses. Participating hospitals will be selected under a competitive tender process and will receive funding to establish, or upgrade existing, on-site educational facilities. Ongoing funding will also be available to maintain infrastructure and to employ clinical training staff.

The first intake of students will be in 2008 and 500 students will be enrolled annually when the programme is fully implemented. The Government will provide wage subsidies of $500 per week for each student to participating hospitals for the first three months and will also pay participating hospitals a $1,500 commencement bonus and a $2,500 completion bonus for each eligible student. The Government will directly pay each student a tax-exempt bonus of $2,000 once they have successfully completed their first six months of the course, and a further tax exempt bonus of $3,000 when they have successfully completed the course.

This measure includes $4.6 million over three years to implement national nursing competency standards including developing training packages for enrolled nurses. It also involves $7.3 million over five years for a career promotion campaign to promote nursing as an attractive and worthwhile career and ensure new nursing training places are taken up.

Further information can be found in the press release of 14 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Community Pharmacy Agreement amendment — increased dispensing fee

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	20.2	22.8	23.8	26.8
Department of Veterans' Affairs	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.6
Total	22.0	24.5	25.4	28.5

The Government has, from 1 August 2007, amended the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement to increase the pharmacy dispensing fee by 12 cents, at an estimated cost of $100.4 million over four years. This one-off increase provides to pharmacies a proportion of the impact on pharmacy revenue of a price reduction on the lipid lowering drug simvastatin on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Dental Treatment — enhanced Medicare items for patients with chronic and complex conditions

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	4.9	3.0	-1.2	2.2
Medicare Australia	2.6	2.4	2.1	2.1
Total	7.6	5.4	0.9	4.3
Related capital ($m)
Medicare Australia	..	-	-	-

The Government will provide additional funding of $18.1 million to build on the 2007-08 Budget measure, Dental Treatment — enhanced Medicare items for patients with chronic and complex conditions. This will enable eligible patients to receive up to $4,250 worth of Medicare-funded dental treatment over two consecutive calendar years.

In the 2007-08 Budget, the Government announced $377.6 million for an expansion of the existing Medicare dental items for people with chronic and complex conditions where their oral health is impacting, or is likely to impact, on their general health. This was based on an annual cap of $2,125. The new arrangements will provide patients with more flexibility to receive dental treatment when they require the services. The new Medicare dental arrangement will commence on 1 November 2007.

Further information can be found in the press release of 14 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Grafton Hospital — funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	18.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $18.0 million in 2007-08 for the upgrade of the accident and emergency department and three operating theatres at Grafton Hospital in NSW.

This funding will be conditional on the establishment of a properly constituted hospital board for the hospital, that will hold the funding in trust on behalf of the community and work with the community, hospital management and NSW health authorities to supervise the disbursement of the funds.

Health and Medical Investment Fund

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	-	-	150.0	203.8

The Government will establish a perpetual Health and Medical Investment Fund (HAMIF) with an initial investment of $2.5 billion funded from the 2006-07 Budget surplus. The initial investment will be transferred by the end of 2007-08. The Government will also invest the proceeds from the sale of Medibank Private in the HAMIF. The sale is expected to occur in 2008 with proceeds to be transferred in early 2009.

The HAMIF will be invested to earn income and the Future Fund Board of Guardians will be responsible for managing and investing the assets of the HAMIF. The real value of the capital is to be maintained with any additional earnings to be made available for distribution. The table above represents current estimates of the earnings that will be available for distribution. Actual payments from the HAMIF will depend on the Fund's investment mandate and realised earnings.

Earnings from the Fund will be available for distribution from 2009-10 for new medical facilities and high technology medical equipment. Distributions from the Fund will be available on a competitive basis and subject to cost-benefit analysis. The Minister for Health and Ageing will determine the distributions after receiving advice from a panel of experts led by the Chief Medical Officer.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 August 2007 issued by the Treasurer.

Human embryo and stem cell research — establishment of a regulatory framework

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
National Health and Medical Research Council	0.9	0.5	0.4	0.3
Department of Health and Ageing	0.7	0.2	0.2	0.1
Total	1.6	0.7	0.6	0.4
Related capital ($m)
National Health and Medical Research Council	0.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide $3.4 million over four years to establish a new regulatory framework for research into human embryos, and to further implement the recommendations of the Legislation Review Committee's review of the Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 and Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 (the Lockhart Review).

Funding will also allow the National Health and Medical Research Council to review current research and clinical applications for the use of stem cells. This information will inform a public education campaign regarding stem cells, research involving human embryos and cloning to be managed by the Department of Health and Ageing.

Kava — tightening of import arrangements

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	5.9	0.3	0.3	0.3
Related capital ($m)
Department of Health and Ageing	0.2	-	-	-

The Government will provide $7.2 million over four years to fund a buy-back scheme for kava importers affected by the Government's decision to restrict the commercial importation of kava, except for medical or scientific purposes, from 26 June 2007. This measure will also establish a diversion control programme to permit, monitor and report kava use for medical or scientific purposes.

Existing importation approval allows up to two kilograms of kava in the accompanied baggage of an incoming passenger (aged 18 years or over) to Australia. This will continue, in recognition that kava has traditional ceremonial and cultural uses for Pacific Islanders.

Further information can be found in the joint press release of 27 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Minister for Justice and Customs.

Lifeline — financial assistance

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	-	2.1	2.2	2.2

The Government will provide $8.2 million over four years (including $1.7 million in 2007-08) to Lifeline to assist it in effectively delivering its services.

Lifeline is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing support to people in need through a 24-hour telephone counselling service.

Funding of $1.7 million in 2007-08 will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Health and Ageing.

This measure builds on the 2003-04 Budget measure, Lifeline — assistance, the 2005-06 Budget measure, Lifeline — assistance for national telephony system and the 2006-07 Budget measure, COAG Mental Health — funding for telephone counselling, self-help and web-based support programmes.

Further information can be found in the press release of 3 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging — improved access

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	0.6	9.7	14.9	14.6
Medicare Australia	..	..	..	..
Total	0.6	9.7	14.9	14.7

The Government will provide $39.9 million over four years to improve access to affordable Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services. This measure will provide Medicare-eligible MRI units in an additional 11 locations. This will provide increased access to MRI services in these locations with no 'out-of-pocket' costs for pensioners, concession cardholders, children and hospital in-patients using the services. This measure will increase to 126 the number of Medicare-eligible MRI units that the Government has committed to support.

Further information can be found in the press release of 27 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Medicare Benefits Schedule — new and revised listings

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	6.0	11.3	15.9	18.5
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.9	1.5	1.6	1.8
Medicare Australia	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2
Total	7.1	12.9	17.7	20.5

The Government has added new and revised items on to the Medicare Benefits Schedule and Veterans' Benefits at an estimated cost of $58.0 million over four years.

The changes include:

• new items for follow up services for patients who have undertaken an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check;
• new items for specialist geriatricians to prepare and review comprehensive care management plans for their patients;
• a new item for diagnosing and treating patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding;
• a new item for the staging and diagnosis of patients with gastrointestinal tumours;
• revised patient eligibility for radioactive treatment of tumour cells in the prostate gland; and
• revised items for dental practitioners with both medical and dental qualifications.

Further information will be available in the summary of changes included in the 1 November 2007 Medicare Benefits Schedule to be issued by the Department of Health and Ageing.

Mersey Community Hospital Tasmania — funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	51.4	64.0	64.0	64.0

The Government will provide funding for the operation of the Mersey Community Hospital to enable it to continue providing a comprehensive range of hospital services for public and private patients. The Mersey Community Hospital will be a community-controlled and Commonwealth-funded facility.

Provision for the purchase and operation of the Mersey Community Hospital of $51.4 million in 2007-08 and $64.0 million per annum in future years has been made. Final amounts are contingent on the outcome of negotiations for the transfer of the hospital to a new entity to be established to operate the hospital, and the determination of longer term funding arrangements.

Further information can be found in the press release of 1 August 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Northern Territory Emergency Response — improve child and family health and expand health service delivery

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	83.4	45.5	54.2	-
Medicare Australia	0.2	-	-	-
Total	83.6	45.5	54.2	-

The Government will provide $183.3 million over three years to provide an immediate response to the national emergency involving the welfare of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory and to deliver a broader range of services including primary health care, allied health and specialist services to remote communities through regional centres.

This funding will provide for medical teams in 2007-08 to conduct voluntary health checks, and follow-up treatment of Indigenous children with chronic or persistent conditions, in 73 communities and 40 town camps. This funding will also provide for drug and alcohol crisis response teams; a drug and alcohol crisis line staffed by medical professionals; and the expansion of drug and alcohol treatment services, to address the immediate effects of alcohol withdrawal as a consequence of the prohibition of alcohol in these areas. Funding will also provide for teams of health professionals, including child psychologists, psychiatrists, and health workers to provide treatment and consultation for any children identified as victims of abuse.

Funding in 2008-09 and 2009-10 will allow for 150 health professionals to operate as regionally based medical and allied health teams. These teams, operating out of regional centres, will deliver follow-up health checks and treatment to build on the initial health checks and will provide access to extended clinical care through fly-in/fly-out and other outreach arrangements, delivering complex care, population health and specialist services to these remote communities. The health professionals will be recruited through a remote area health corps agency, to be established for this purpose. Minor capital works to upgrade 10 existing health centres will also be undertaken through a grants process.

Provision has been made in the Contingency Reserve for the continuation of elements of this measure beyond 2007-08.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the press release of 18 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme — extension to the listing of Taxotere® (docetaxel)

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	11.4	20.4	24.2	28.1
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.3	0.5	0.6	0.7
Medicare Australia	..	..	..	..
Total	11.7	21.0	24.8	28.9
Related revenue ($m)
Department of Health and Ageing	nfp	nfp	nfp	nfp

The Government will, from 1 November 2007, list Taxotere® (docetaxel) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Repatriation PBS, at an estimated cost of $86.4 million over four years. This includes funding for administering payments through Medicare Australia. A pricing agreement negotiated between the Government and the drug manufacturer allows for revenue offsets to the cost of Taxotere®.

Taxotere® is currently available on the PBS for the treatment of certain forms of breast, ovarian and lung cancer, and in specific cases where patients suffering from these cancers have failed to respond to alternative treatments. The extension to the listing will provide subsidised access to Taxotere® for patients with androgen independent metastatic prostate cancer.

The average cost to the PBS of providing Taxotere® is approximately $2,541 per patient per cycle. On average, seven cycles are required per patient, with two prescriptions required per cycle. General consumers will pay a $30.70 co-payment per prescription and concession card holders will pay a $4.90 co-payment per prescription.

Further information can be found in the press release of 2 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme — extensions to the listing of Remicade® (infliximab)

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	15.3	17.7	12.0	8.5
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.1
Medicare Australia	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3
Total	15.8	18.2	12.4	8.8

The Government has, from 1 October 2007, extended the listing of Remicade® on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation PBS, at an estimated cost of $55.3 million over four years. This includes funding for administering payments through Medicare Australia and additional expenditure for the Medicare Benefits Schedule for the administration of the drug.

Remicade® is currently available on the PBS for the treatment of severe rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. The extension to the listing will provide subsidised access for adults and children with severe Crohn's disease who are unresponsive to treatment with conventional therapy.

The average cost to the PBS of providing Remicade® is approximately $2,430 per adult patient per treatment and $1,970 per child patient per treatment. General consumers will pay a $30.70 co-payment per prescription and concession card holders will pay a $4.90 co-payment per prescription.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme — listing of Lucentis® (ranibizumab) and Visudyne® (verteporfin)

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	87.9	138.7	167.2	183.8
Department of Veterans' Affairs	23.3	33.8	36.3	35.6
Medicare Australia	1.0	1.1	1.2	1.3
Total	112.1	173.6	204.6	220.7
Related revenue ($m)
Department of Health and Ageing	nfp	nfp	nfp	nfp

The Government has, from 1 August 2007, listed Lucentis® (ranibizumab) and Visudyne® (verteporfin) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Repatriation PBS. Lucentis® and Visudyne® are used for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and are available on the PBS under prescription issued by an ophthalmologist.

The cost of listing these drugs is estimated at $711.1 million over four years. This includes funding for administering payments through Medicare Australia and additional expenditure for the Medicare Benefits Schedule and Veterans' Benefits related to the administration of these drugs. A pricing agreement negotiated between the Government and the drug manufacturer allows for revenue offsets to the cost of Lucentis®. Due to the listing of Visudyne® on the PBS, the existing Visudyne® Therapy Programme has been terminated from 1 August 2007.

The average cost to the PBS of providing Lucentis® is approximately $12,033 per patient per year. In the first year of treatment a patient is expected to require an average of seven prescriptions. The average cost to the PBS of providing Visudyne® is approximately $3,176 per patient per year. In the first year of treatment a patient is expected to require an average of two prescriptions. General consumers will pay a $30.70 co-payment per prescription and concession card holders will pay a $4.90 co-payment per prescription.

Further information can be found in the press release of 6 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme — minor new listings

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.1	-0.4	-0.8	-1.1
Department of Health and Ageing	-10.5	-28.6	-46.3	-64.8
Total	-10.4	-28.9	-47.1	-65.9
Related revenue ($m)
Department of Health and Ageing	nfp	nfp	nfp	nfp

The Government has agreed to a number of minor new listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation PBS since the 2007-08 Budget, which will result in reduced costs of $152.4 million over four years.

The extension to the listings of Arabloc® and Arava®, for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, will result in a reduction in the demand for more expensive treatments for the condition.

The other minor new listings (including extensions of PBS listings) are medicines that have been listed at either no additional cost to the budget (because they replace existing listings) or at an estimated cost each of less than $10 million per annum.

New listings that have a minor cost include:

• Mirena® as an alternative treatment to surgery for women who have menorrhagia;
• Sprycel® for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia;
• Femara® for the treatment of breast cancer in women who have completed treatment with tamoxifen;
• Aptivus® for the treatment of HIV in patients who do not respond to, or have resistance to, at least three antiretroviral medications combined; and
• Mabthera® for the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis patients who have failed to respond to other treatments.

Further information can be found in the press release of 1 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing and the 1 June 2007 and 1 August 2007 updates to the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits issued by the Department of Health and Ageing.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Reform — extension to the phasing of price reductions for F2T single brand drugs

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	-	17.9	46.2	39.5
Department of Veterans' Affairs	-	1.2	3.1	2.6
Total	-	19.1	49.3	42.1

The Government will extend the phasing of price reductions under the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2006-07 measure Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Reform — achieving better value for the five single brand medicines listed on formulary 2T (F2T), at an estimated cost of $110.4 million over four years.

The F2T group of medicines are those that have multiple brands, including medicines interchangeable at the patient level with a multiple brand medicine, and for which significant discounting occurs. Medicines classified as F2T are subject to a 25 per cent price reduction from 1 August 2008, except for the single brand F2T medicines, which are scheduled to have the price reduction phased over a number of years.

The phasing of the price reduction for all single brand F2T medicines will now be extended to 2018. In the event that a new brand of one of these medicines enters the market before 2018, the remainder of the 25 per cent price reduction will be applied to that medicine in full at the next major update to the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits (1 April, 1 August or 1 December each year).

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Reform — support for prescribing software vendors

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $0.8 million in 2007-08 to assist software vendors in modifying prescribing software to incorporate new streamlined authority arrangements. These arrangements, which were introduced as part of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) reforms announced on 16 November 2006, enable certain PBS medicines that previously required authorisation through a phone call to Medicare Australia to be authorised by a doctor.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Health and Ageing.

Positron Emission Tomography — new and upgraded facilities

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	2.9	-	-	-

The Government will provide $2.9 million in grants in 2007-08 for existing and planned Positron Emission Tomography (PET) facilities located outside mainland capital cities, including the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital and facilities in Geelong.

This measure will support investment in capital and the upgrade of equipment to allow patients to access Medicare-eligible PET scans for a wider range of diseases, including epilepsy and lung cancer.

Tasmanian health services infrastructure

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	6.0	19.3	7.5	2.3

The Government will provide $35.1 million over four years to health services in the North and North-West Tasmanian regions to improve key elements of Tasmania's health services infrastucture.

An Australian Government funding contribution of $16.0 million for Launceston General Hospital, and $8.0 million for Burnie Hospital, will be provided over three years for the upgrading of existing facilities and the establishment of new rehabilitation and transitional care, psychiatric unit and cardiac care facilities.

Funding of $8.4 million will be provided over four years for new ambulances and patient transport services between the Burnie, Devonport and Launceston General Hospitals. Additionally, grants of up to $1.0 million in 2007-08 will be made available to both Ouse and Rosebery Hospitals.

Further information can be found in the press release of 8 October 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Human Services

Health and Social Services Access Card — review mechanism

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman	0.5	0.6	0.7	1.8
Department of Human Services	-	0.9	1.1	4.0
Administrative Appeals Tribunal	-	0.4	0.5	1.4
Total	0.5	1.9	2.2	7.2
Related revenue ($m)
Administrative Appeals Tribunal	-	..	..	..
Related capital ($m)
Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman	0.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide $12.1 million over four years to establish a merit review and appeals mechanism to resolve complaints about individual Access Card decisions. The merit review and appeals mechanism will include an internal review by the Department of Human Services, a new statutory office of the Access Card Ombudsman (as an additional role for the Commonwealth Ombudsman) and external merits review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The measure includes $0.1 million in capital funding for IT system changes.

This measure will include a small amount of revenue over three years from the introduction of a proposed non-refundable fee of $64 for appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Medicare rebates — electronic claiming incentive package

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Health and Ageing	12.7	23.3	16.4	-
Medicare Australia	7.6	7.9	3.9	1.1
Total	20.2	31.2	20.3	1.1
Related capital ($m)
Medicare Australia	0.6	-	-	-

The Government will provide $73.5 million over four years for a package of incentives to support the take-up of electronic claiming of Medicare rebates at doctors' surgeries. This will enable patients who are not bulk-billed to receive the Medicare rebate directly into their bank accounts by electronic funds transfer, without the need to visit a Medicare office. The incentives will also aim to increase the level of various forms of electronic claiming by medical practices.

The package includes:

• assistance for medical practitioners to take-up and make greater use of electronic claiming;
• incentives for software vendors to assist medical practitioners to transition to electronic claiming;
• support for the pathology industry to transition to a newer, more secure electronic claiming method; and
• access to the 90 Day Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme by specialists, pathologists and radiologists who participate in electronic claiming.

This measure includes $0.6 million in capital funding in 2007-08 to establish systems to register eligible recipients and enable the payment of incentives.

Further information can be found in the press release of 20 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Human Services.

Immigration and Citizenship

Adult Migrant English Programme — 12 month contract extension

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	-	3.3	-	-

The Government will provide $3.3 million in 2008-09 to extend the Adult Migrant English Programme contracts for 12 months from 1 July 2008. The programme is administered through 20 contracts with educational bodies for English language tuition and associated services. This extension will synchronise the programme's contracts with those of other English language programmes funded by the Government, creating the opportunity for synergies in future programme delivery.

Baxter Immigration Detention Centre — closure

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	-10.9	-3.1	-3.1	-3.2

The Government has closed the Baxter Immigration Detention Centre and returned the facility to the Department of Defence. The number of illegal boat arrivals has been significantly reduced, resulting in the centre becoming excess to requirements.

This measure is expected to lead to savings of $20.3 million over four years.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

Border Control System — upgrade

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	16.2	9.1	9.0	9.2
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation	3.8	4.7	4.8	4.9
Total	20.0	13.8	13.8	14.1
Related capital ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	17.7	-	-	-
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation	9.0	-	-	-
Total	26.7	-	-	-

The Government will provide $88.4 million over four years to implement a stronger and more flexible border control system for Australia.

This funding will enable enhanced electronic connectivity between the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation; improved analysis and security checking of travellers to Australia; and higher quality data matching systems. The incorporation of more efficient systems will help to ensure that appropriate security requirements do not slow down business and tourism travel.

This measure involves $17.7 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and $9.0 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which includes funding for IT system upgrades.

Further information can be found in the press release of 8 July 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Citizenship Test — administration

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	4.1	11.0	-	-
Medicare Australia	0.9	0.4	-	-
Total	5.0	11.3	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	10.6	0.2	-	-
Centrelink	0.1	-	-	-
Total	10.8	0.2	-	-

The Government will provide $27.3 million over two years to administer the Citizenship Test for prospective Australian citizens via a network of Australian Government offices, including selected Centrelink and Medicare Australia offices.

This approach to administering the test builds on the Citizenship Test measure announced in the 2007-08 Budget and will be reviewed prior to the 2009-10 Budget to assess its effectiveness.

The costs over two years are estimated at $25.9 million for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and $1.3 million for Medicare Australia. The funding for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship includes $0.9 million in 2007-08 and $0.2 million in 2008-09 for services to be provided by Centrelink.

This measure includes $10.8 million over two years in capital funding for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and $0.1 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for Centrelink for IT equipment and software to support this method of delivery.

Citizenship Test — initiatives to support implementation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	1.4	5.8	4.9	4.5
Related capital ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	0.4	-	-	-

The Government will provide $16.9 million over four years to provide additional support for citizenship applicants to meet the requirements of the Citizenship Test. This includes a grants programme for community organisations to assist migrants to prepare for the Citizenship Test; updating the Let's Participate course to reflect the new material contained in the Citizenship Test resource book; and the development of a Citizenship Test preparation webpage.

This measure includes $0.4 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for IT to support implementation of the grants programme.

Further information can be found in the press release of 17 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

Migration and Humanitarian Programmes — integration criterion

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	1.6	1.4	1.1	1.2
Related capital ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	0.5	0.2	-	-

The Government will provide $5.9 million over four years (including $0.7 million in capital funding) to implement an integration criterion in the Migration and Humanitarian Programmes.

The purpose of this criterion is to assess that visa applicants are likely to become established in Australia without undue personal difficulty and without imposing undue difficulties or costs on the Australian community.

Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	nfp	nfp	nfp	nfp

The Government will provide additional funding over four years to state government welfare agencies across Australia for the welfare, supervision and support of Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors (UHMs). The funding will meet the costs associated with the increased number and complexity of cases under this programme. UHMs are children, under 18 years of age, who enter Australia under the Humanitarian Programme and who are not in the care of a parent.

Provision for this funding has been included in the forward estimates and is not for publication due to ongoing negotiations with the States.

Visas — cessation of the Trade Skills Training Visa

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	-1.2	-1.1	-1.2	-1.2
Department of Education, Science and Training	-2.2	-2.2	-2.3	-2.3
Total	-3.3	-3.3	-3.4	-3.5
Related revenue ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	..	..	..	..

The Government has ceased the pilot programme for the Trade Skills Training Visa. The pilot, announced in the 2005-06 Budget, has experienced a significantly lower than expected application rate.

This measure is expected to lead to savings of $13.4 million over four years.

Visas — new work and holiday arrangements with the United States

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	1.2	1.5	1.9	1.9
Related revenue ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	0.2	2.0	4.0	4.1
Related capital ($m)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship	1.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide $7.6 million over four years to implement a new reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement with the United States of America (USA).

The purpose of this visa is to enable eligible applicants from the USA to holiday and travel in Australia and to undertake temporary work to supplement funds.

This measure includes $1.1 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for IT to support the new visa arrangement.

The cost of this measure will be offset by an increase in revenue of $10.2 million arising from additional visa charges.

Further information can be found in the press release of 5 September 2007 issued by the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

Industry, Tourism and Resources

Australian Energy Market Council — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	1.5	-	-	-

The Government will provide $1.5 million in 2007-08 to the Australian Energy Market Council to enable it to undertake national electricity grid planning tasks assigned by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on 13 April 2007.

This measure builds on the recommendations in the Government's Energy White Paper (2004) to promote reform and efficiencies in the national energy market.

This measure forms part of an agreement made by COAG on 13 April 2007. Further information can be found in the Communiqué available from www.coag.gov.au.

Climate change — Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology — establishment

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	1.9	3.1	-	-

The Government will provide $5.0 million over two years from 2007-08 to establish the Asia Pacific Network for Energy Technology (APNet).

The APNet initiative will improve linkages between researchers in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region on emerging low emission energy and energy efficiency technologies, accelerating their development and contributing to medium and long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

This measure is part of the Government's set of initiatives to support the APEC climate change agenda.

Further information can be found in the press release of 2 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Climate change — Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate — extension

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	2.5	16.9	22.9	7.3
Related capital ($m)
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	0.2	-	-	-

The Government will provide an additional $50.0 million over five years (including $0.1 million in 2011-12) to fund environmental projects and clean coal technology development in partner countries. The Government has agreed that $20 million of this funding will be earmarked for clean coal projects in China, consistent with the objectives of the Australia-China Joint Coordination Group on Clean Coal Technology. The balance of funding will be applied to projects in any Asia-Pacific partnership country.

Approval of all projects funded from this programme and the strategic direction of Australia's commitment to the Asia-Pacific Partnership's programme will be the joint responsibility of the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources and the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, in consultation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

This measure includes $0.2 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for information and communication technology set up costs.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 2 September and 6 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Ford Australia — assistance

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	-	-	10.0	-

The Government will provide $10.0 million in each of 2009-10 and 2011-12 to Ford Australia to help encourage the assembly of the next generation Ford Focus at its Broadmeadows plant.

The cost of this measure will be met through bringing forward and redirecting $20.0 million from the second tranche of a 2006 grant to Ford Australia, which was originally to be provided in 2012-13.

The Victorian Government will match the $20.0 million being provided by the Australian Government for the Ford Focus project.

Further information can be found in the press release of 23 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources.

FutureGen Alliance — membership

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	15.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $15.0 million in 2007-08 to secure membership in the FutureGen Alliance, which aims to develop a near-zero greenhouse emissions coal-fuelled power plant.

The FutureGen partnership is a public-private partnership led by the United States Department of Energy, and has a number of industry members from Australia, such as BHP Billiton, Xstrata and Rio Tinto.

Australia's membership will provide access to the research programme and will give Australia a seat on the government steering committee which oversees the FutureGen project.

Further information can be found in the press release of 5 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Geelong Investment and Innovation Fund

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	3.6	6.9	4.0	0.2

The Government will provide $14.6 million over five years (including $0.1 million in 2011-12) to establish the Geelong Investment and Innovation Fund, following the decision by Ford Australia to restructure its Geelong manufacturing operations.

The fund will provide structural adjustment assistance in the form of competitive, merit-based grants to local businesses and groups for new employment creation projects in the Geelong region of Victoria.

The new fund will consist of contributions from the Australian Government; $6.0 million from the Victorian Government; and $3.0 million from Ford Australia.

Further information can be found in the press release of 18 July 2007 issued by the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources.

Innovation Ambassador Programme

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $5.0 million over three years from 2008-09 for a new Innovation Ambassador Programme to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the Australian community, particularly amongst small business and young Australians.

This measure will provide for innovation awareness activities for small business and young entrepreneurs; sponsorships that promote innovation and entrepreneurial achievement; and research to provide industry innovation intelligence to Government, with a view to enhancing the delivery and design of innovation programmes.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

Further information can be found in the press release of 28 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources.

World Youth Day — additional contribution

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	15.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide an additional $15.0 million in 2007-08 to the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney as a further contribution to the cost of hosting World Youth Day in Sydney from 15 to 20 July 2008.

This measure builds on a contribution of $20.0 million ($10.0 million in 2005-06 and $10.0 million in 2007-08) that was provided to the Archdiocese for this purpose in the 2006-07 Budget.

Prime Minister and Cabinet

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation — additional funding for related activities

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet	0.2	-	-	-

The Government will provide additional funding of $0.2 million in 2007-08 for activities related to the hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting of leaders, including provision of policy input and arrangements for bilateral meetings between the Prime Minister and the world leaders who were in Australia at the time of APEC.

Canada-Australia public policy initiative — establishment

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet	0.4	0.9	0.7	0.9

The Government will provide $3.3 million over five years (including $0.3 million in 2011-12) to establish a public policy initiative between the Australian and Canadian Governments.

The objective of the initiative is to deepen the working relationship between the two governments by exploring public policy challenges. It includes an interchange programme, an annual retreat and an annual public lecture series.

Transport and Regional Services

AusLink — additional AusLink National Network funding in 2007-08 and 2008-09

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	20.0	80.0	-	-100.0

The Government will provide additional funding of $100.0 million for AusLink National Network projects in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The $100.0 million is already included in the forward estimates as part of the 2009-10 to 2013-14 AusLink 2 programme. The funding will be brought forward from 2010-11 to allow for the early initiation of projects.

AusLink — inland rail

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	13.5	61.5	-75.0	-

The Government will provide $100.0 million over three years to the Australian Rail Track Corporation for the development of the AusLink rail network. This comprises $15.0 million for a scoping study involving the detailed planning and design work for a future inland rail corridor and $85.0 million for projects on existing sections of the AusLink rail network which could contribute to a future inland rail corridor.

Provision for the funding of $100.0 million is already included in the forward estimates as part of the 2009-10 to 2013-14 AusLink 2 programme. However, funding of $75.0 million will be brought forward from 2009-10 to allow for the commencement of these projects in 2007-08.

AusLink — new funding for particular road projects

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	5.0	20.0	45.0	45.0

The Government will provide additional funding of $185.0 million over five years (including $70.0 million in 2011-12) for road projects other than under the AusLink (National Land Transport) Act 2005. This includes funding for the construction of the Kingston bypass in Tasmania, duplication of the Southern Expressway in Adelaide and the upgrade of the intersection at Whitehorse and Springvale roads in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 18 August 2007 issued by the Prime Minister and 5 October 2007 issued by the Treasurer.

Australian Maritime College Marine research project — funding

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	3.0	-	-	-

The Government will provide $3.0 million in 2007-08 to the Australian Maritime College to be used for the expansion of the ship simulator programme and upgrade of the cavitation tunnel (used to simulate water flows around bodies such as ship hulls) at the Launceston campus.

Further information can be found in the press release of 13 July 2007 issued by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services.

Flood relief appeals — donations

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	-	-	-	-

The Government provided $0.6 million in 2007-08 for donations to flood relief appeals. A donation of $50,000 was made to the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund and a donation of $500,000 was made to the Newcastle Permanent Regional Relief Fund.

The cost of this measure was met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Further information can be found in the press release of 6 July 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Growing Regions Programme

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	2.5	30.0	40.0	75.0

The Government will provide $200.0 million over five years (including $52.5 million in 2011-12) for the Growing Regions Programme which will support local community projects that deal with the increasing demands on infrastructure, services and employment in regional Australia caused by rapid growth, structural change, population migration and population ageing. The Programme will provide funding of $1.0 million to $3.0 million per project. This measure will commence from 1 January 2008.

Further information can be found in the joint press release of 12 September 2007 issued by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services.

Local government amalgamation — plebiscites in Queensland

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	*	*	*	*

The Australian Government has announced that the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will conduct, at the expense of the Australian Government, plebiscites about amalgamation proposals in local government areas in Queensland. Funding will be provided for payment to the AEC to offset any costs incurred by the AEC. The funding requirement cannot be determined at this stage as it will depend on the number of local government areas included in the plebiscites and the format for the plebiscites.

Further information can be found in the press release of 19 August 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Seat belts on regional school buses

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	10.0	10.0	10.0	10.0

The Government will provide $40.0 million over four years to increase the number of school buses equipped with seat belts for students in rural and regional areas. This measure will fund grants, to be paid directly to private rural and regional bus operators, of up to $25,000 per existing in-service bus to be fitted with seat belts. It is envisaged that it would fund the installation of seat belts in at least 1,500 regional school buses.

Further information can be found in the press release of 19 September 2007 issued by the Prime Minister.

Tasmanian freight subsidy arrangements — improved administration

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	1.8	0.7	0.7	0.8

The Government will provide $4.0 million over four years to improve the administration of the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme in response to the recommendations of the Productivity Commission inquiry into the Tasmanian Freight Subsidy Arrangements.

This measure includes payments to Centrelink of $0.9 million in 2007-08, $0.1 millon in 2008-09, $0.1 million in 2009-10 and $0.1 million in 2010-11 for improvements to its IT systems used to manage payments under the Scheme on behalf of the Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Further information can be found in the press release of 21 June 2007 issued by the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads.

Young District Medical Centre

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Transport and Regional Services	0.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide $0.1 million in 2007-08 to contribute to the expansion of the Young District Medical Centre to accommodate a specialist GP Anaesthetist and to supply educational and training facilities for medical students and registrars.

Treasury

National Plan for Water Security — Australian Competition and Consumer Commission regulatory arrangements

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission	5.9	6.8	6.1	6.1
Department of the Environment and Water Resources	-7.0	-6.8	-6.1	-6.1
Total	-1.1	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission	1.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide $65.5 million over 10 years, from the $10 billion National Plan for Water Security administered by the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, to support the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in its role of providing advice to the Australian Government on the water charging and market rules to apply within the Murray-Darling Basin. The ACCC will also be responsible for enforcing these rules and will approve or determine bulk water charges.

The ACCC will also provide advice on the water charging implications of new Australian Government infrastructure investment under the National Plan for Water Security.

This measure includes $1.1 million in capital funding in 2007-08 for fit-out, office furniture and computers.

Regulations for private rulings requiring valuations

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Taxation Office	8.2	13.3	6.5	6.3

The Government will provide $34.3 million over four years to make it easier for taxpayers to seek valuations as part of a private ruling.

Taxpayers will not be charged by the Australian Taxation Office for a review of a valuation where that valuation was conducted professionally by a member of an approved professional association. Where the taxpayer has not provided their own valuation, or the valuation they provided was not conducted by a member of an approved professional association, the Australian Taxation Office will retain the power to charge the taxpayer for the valuation process.

Further information can be found in the press release of 23 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer.

Royal Australian Mint — information management system upgrade — Phase 2

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Royal Australian Mint	2.7	2.2	1.0	1.0
Related capital ($m)
Royal Australian Mint	4.2	1.8	0.2	-

The Government will provide $13.1 million over four years (including $6.2 million in capital funding) to the Royal Australian Mint to support the implementation of Phase 2 of the upgrade of its information management and business systems.

The systems upgrade will integrate data across the Mint's manufacturing and other business areas to provide enhanced information reporting, data management, and financial and human resource systems administration.

This funding is in addition to $0.5 million provided by the Government for implementing Phase 1. See the capital measure titled Royal Australian Mint – internal security and upgrade of associated systems in the 2007-08 Budget.

Further information can be found in the press release of 12 September 2007 issued by the Royal Australian Mint.

Screen media support package — further policy amendments

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Taxation Office	2.1	1.1	1.1	1.1
Related revenue ($m)
Australian Taxation Office	-	-6.0	-	-

Following consultation with the industry, the Government has amended some elements of the screen media support package announced in the 2007-08 Budget to better meet the objectives of the policy and the needs of the screen production industry in Australia, at an estimated cost of $11.4 million over four years.

Under the amendments:

• the 15 per cent location offset applies for large-budget productions commencing principal photography or production of the animated image from 8 May 2007, rather than 1 July 2007; and
• 'one-off' documentaries are eligible on the same basis as multiple episode documentaries and a common definition of 'series' applies across all media types.

To assist taxpayers to adjust to the phasing out of current film tax concessions, taxpayers are able to continue to utilise film tax concessions provided under Division 10B and 10BA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 by allowing applications for certificates to be accepted up until the date of Royal Assent of the amending legislation, rather than 30 June 2007.

This measure relates to the Screen media support package of measures announced in the 2007-08 Budget, involving funding of $282.9 million over four years.

Further information can be found in the press releases of 3 August 2007 and 16 August 2007 issued by the Minister for the Arts and Sport.

Simplified Superannuation — additional funding for media coverage

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Taxation Office	17.6	-	-	-

The Government will provide $17.6 million in 2007-08 for increased media coverage to ensure the community is fully informed of the changes delivered through the simplified superannuation reforms.

This measure relates to the Simplified Superannuation measures announced in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2006-07 and Simplified Superannuation – additional funding for implementation announced in the 2007-08 Budget.

Standard Business Reporting

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Australian Taxation Office	14.2	15.8	12.8	7.8
Department of the Treasury	9.9	9.9	14.6	4.7
Australian Bureau of Statistics	3.3	3.2	3.4	2.4
Australian Securities and Investments Commission	1.7	1.4	1.6	0.8
Australian Customs Service	1.6	-	-	-
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority	0.7	1.6	4.0	1.9
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	0.6	2.0	2.0	0.5
Department of Finance and Administration	0.3	1.0	0.3	-
Total	32.3	34.8	38.7	18.0
Related capital ($m)
Australian Taxation Office	9.6	19.4	3.5	-
Department of the Treasury	8.8	9.3	7.2	-
Australian Bureau of Statistics	5.9	4.8	3.8	0.9
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources	2.1	1.3	1.1	-
Australian Securities and Investments Commission	1.5	3.2	1.0	-
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority	-	1.9	1.0	-
Total	27.9	39.8	17.7	0.9

The Government will provide $210.2 million over four years to initiate the Standard Business Reporting programme. The programme aims to cut the red tape confronting business when reporting to government through better, more streamlined computer reporting systems. It will first target financial reporting, by allowing businesses to use a single, secure log-on to send financial information to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Australian Taxation Office and, potentially, the State Revenue Offices.

This measure includes capital funding of $86.3 million for information and communications technology equipment.

The measure also includes $1.6 million in 2007-08 for the Australian Customs Service to develop electronic trade solutions.

This measure relates to the Standard Business Reporting measure announced in the 2007-08 Budget, involving funding of $7.3 million in 2006-07.

Further information can be found in the press release of 30 August 2007 issued by the Treasurer.

Veterans' Affairs

Compensation — ex-gratia payment

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Veterans' Affairs	-	-	-	-

The Government will provide $10,000 in 2007-08 in ex-gratia assistance to compensate a Vietnam Veteran in consideration of his particular medical circumstances.

The cost of this measure will be met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Disability Pension — changes to indexation and increases to the General and Extreme Disablement Adjustment Rates

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Veterans' Affairs	16.5	61.3	72.7	85.3
Department of Health and Ageing	..	..	-0.1	-0.1
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations	-0.1	-0.3	-0.3	-0.4
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	-0.4	-1.6	-2.0	-2.5
Total	16.1	59.5	70.3	82.3
Related capital ($m)
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide $235.9 million over four years to index the General Rate component of the veterans' Disability Pension to movements in the Consumer Price Index and Male Total Average Weekly Earnings, whichever is the greater. The new indexation arrangements will apply from 20 March 2008. The Government will also increase the General Rate of the Disability Pension by 5 per cent and increase the Extreme Disablement Adjustment Rate by $15 per fortnight. The new indexation arrangements will benefit approximately 140,000 disability pensioners, including those on the Special, Intermediate and Extreme Disablement Adjustment Rates of the Disability Pension.

This measure includes $0.1 million in capital funding in 2007-08 to upgrade related computer systems.

The cost of this measure will be partially offset by savings of $7.6 million over four years, as the Disability Pension is taken into account for income testing arrangements for the Age Pension and other benefits paid under the Social Security Act 1991. The net cost of the measure is $228.3 million.

Further information can be found in the press release of 11 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

Vietnam Veteran Family Study

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.7	2.7	4.5	1.7
Related capital ($m)
Department of Veterans' Affairs	0.3	-	-	-

The Government will provide $13.3 million over eight years (including $0.9 million in 2011-12, $0.8 million in 2012-13, $0.8 million in 2013-14 and $0.9 million in 2014-15) to examine the effects of military service on the children and families of Vietnam veterans. The Vietnam Veteran Family Study aims to monitor health and welfare issues for Vietnam veterans' families by examining physical, mental and social health outcomes. The study will involve both quantitative and qualitative components in a tiered approach looking at about 200,000 parents and children, with the first results available in 2009.

Further information can be found in the press release of 16 August 2007 issued by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

War Widows' Pension — increased payment and changes to indexation

Expense ($m)

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Department of Veterans' Affairs	8.5	31.8	34.7	37.4
Department of Health and Ageing	-0.2	-0.7	-0.6	-0.5
Total	8.3	31.1	34.1	36.9

The Government will provide $112.5 million over four years to index the previously non-indexed component of the War Widows' Pension to movements in the Consumer Price Index or Male Total Average Weekly Earnings, whichever is the greater. The new indexation arrangements will apply from 20 March 2008. The Government will also increase the non-indexed component of the War Widows' Pension by $10 per fortnight. The new arrangements will benefit approximately 114,000 War Widow Pensioners.

The cost of this measure will be partially offset by savings of $2.1 million over four years, as the War Widows' Pension is taken into account for aged care income testing arrangements. The net cost of the measure is $110.4 million.

Further information can be found in the press release of 19 September 2007 issued by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

 

2007-08 Budget Documents

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• Budget at a Glance

• Budget Paper No. 1
• Budget Paper No. 2
• Budget Paper No. 3
• Budget Paper No. 4

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• Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook
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